Page:Stories told to a child.djvu/90

 'Six years and a half,' I replied, sobbing.

'Six years and a half,' was his not very proper answer, 'and looking out for heaven already!' But being now really alarmed as to whether I should ever find either the gate or my home again, I cried and sobbed heartily, till he sat down on the bank, and taking me on his knee, began to wipe my eyes with his silk pocket-handkerchief, and assure me that he would soon take me home again, for that he knew the way quite well; we were not more than two miles from the beach, and so I need not cry, for we should set off home as soon as I could leave off sobbing.

Thereupon being at ease in my mind, and perfectly satisfied in the good company of the elderly gentleman, he and I 'fell into easy discourse' together. He seemed anxious to investigate this rather strange fancy, and he asked me what I had intended to eat on my pilgrimage. I showed him the various pieces of stale bread and bun that I had saved, and he fell into explosions of loud laughter, which left his face crimson, and his eyes full of tears; but he must have been a very kind elderly gentleman, for he shortly after set me on his little pony, and as he led it homewards over the down, he not only assured me that we should be back in time for dinner, but he took a great deal of pains to impress on my mind that I was never to try to go on pilgrimage again while I was staying at the sea-side, nor afterwards without consulting my mamma. I promised that I would not; and in a very short space of time, as it seemed to me, we came down to the beach, and found ourselves at my relative's gate. Here, as I well remember, my dread of being late Rh