“I wish the old ‘Rover’ would come along,” panted Dan at the end of about a quarter of an hour’s march.  “I’d get those fellows to give us a lift for part of the way at any rate.”

“Oh,” sighed Betty, “how lovely that would be!  But things don’t happen when you want them to, do they?”

Miss Betty’s sad and cynical view of life was wrong though, for not so very much later the familiar rumbling and shaking, and puffing and rattling, reached their ears once more, and coming, too, from the direction of Wenbridge.

In a state of anxious excitement they all stood to await it.  “Hadn’t we better hold up a pocket-handkerchief for a white flag to show them we are friendly?” asked Betty anxiously.

“They wouldn’t understand if we did,” said Dan impatiently.  “They’d only think we were trying to frighten them.  Kitty, if you go back towards them, holding up your hand, they will know it’s all right.  They will trust you.  It’s only me they are down on, really.”

Kitty went back at once, and fortunately, just as she was trying to attract their attention and make them understand that she had only friendly intentions, they brought the engine to a standstill for Tonkin to get down and collect some faggots which lay beside the way.  The engine snorted, and spit, and panted, and Dumble watched Kitty’s approach with an eye which was not encouraging; but Kitty, though her heart was quaking a little, advanced bravely.

“Dumble,” she called to him, in a friendly, conciliating voice, stretching up to him confidingly—­“Dumble, we are so tired.  My little brother Tony can hardly get on at all, his feet are hurting him so badly, and he is too heavy for Dan to carry all the way; and Dan is tired too, and—­and we wondered if—­if you would give us a lift, even if it is only for a little way.  Will you?”

Dumble, his face rather flushed, straightened himself.  “Look at my nose, miss,” he said meaningly.  “Look at my nose,” pointing to that poor feature, which certainly looked red and swollen.  “That’s your brother’s doings, heaving apples and not caring what he strikes with ’em, and yet after that you can come and ask me to take ’ee all aboard of my train.”

“I am very sorry, Dumble, that you got hit, I am really, but—­well, you did get the apples and some nice sandwiches too, you know; and when you aim at Dan it is never with anything nicer than hot water, and you know you did really scald him once but he never told how it was done.”

Dumble looked rather foolish.  “Didn’t ’ee now?” he said, but his tone was less indignant.  “Yes, we had the apples, and fine ones they were too.  Well, come along.  Tell ’em all to look sharp and hop up, for ’tis ’bout time we was to ’ome, and the ‘Rover’ put up for the night.”