



Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, Josephine Paolucci
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LITTLE FOLKS:

_A Magazine for the Young._

_NEW AND ENLARGED SERIES._

CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED

_LONDON, PARIS & NEW YORK._

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

Transcriber's Note: The project was listed as the August 1884 edition,
but there is no information indicating that on the scans I worked with.
Minor typos have been corrected. Italics are indicated with underscores
like _this_, bold is indicate like ~this~. Smallcap letters have been
converted to all-caps for the text file.




A LITTLE TOO CLEVER.

_By the Author of "Pen's Perplexities," "Margaret's Enemy," "Maid
Marjory," &c._


CHAPTER IV.--HAS ELSIE FORGOTTEN?

[Illustration]

"Look you, Duncan," Elsie exclaimed, when they had walked on some way in
silence, "I've made up my mind to go, and what's the use o' waitin'? The
sooner the better, for it may turn cold any day now. We shouldn't be
long if it was fine, but if 'twas wet we might have to wait up in
places. I must sit down an' see if I can find out the way to go from the
map."

"We shan't be to school in time," Duncan protested.

"Well, an' I dunno that I care," Elsie replied. "What's the odds o' one
afternoon more or less? It'll be many a day I shall be called truant, I
reckon. But they might be after tellin' of us, an' she'd be lockin' me
up in the loft, which isn't what I want, so we'll get to school to-day,"
she added, meditatively. "Here, take the basket, while I try to make the
map out as we walk along."

Now, Elsie had a great many faults indeed, but there was one thing you
may have noticed about her that had something of a good point about it:
it never occurred to her to desert Duncan. She might have said, "You run
on to the shop with the beans while I study the map," for Duncan knew
his way well enough; but the little fellow had ever depended upon her,
and been her inseparable companion. She would guide him into stray
paths, but it would never occur to her to forsake him, or withdraw from
him the protection of her fearless, daring spirit. One good point,
however small and obscure it is, may be taken as a proof that there is
some good soil in the nature which has developed it where other similar
plants may flourish. We have room to hope, therefore, that Elsie was not
without her better side.

"It don't look far," Elsie said, meditatively, tracing the space with
her finger on the map, which was a small one, and to the inexperienced
eyes that were studying it reduced distance to a mere nothing. "Here's
London printed very big. It's a goodish way down, is London, gettin' on
to the end of England, only England's a very little place, accordin' to
the map. Any way, it wouldn't be so very long, for that old guide
they've got at home with the map in it makes this road look just about
six times as long as it is."

"You're quite sure we're goin' to run away?" Duncan asked, rather
dolefully.

"I won't say whether it'll be walkin' or runnin', but I'm quite sure I
shall go," Elsie replied.

"I think they'll cry when they can't find us," Duncan said,
meditatively.

"Poor bodies! if they cry it'll be with rage to think we're gone," Elsie
said contemptuously. "I just wonder if they'll guess then I've got the
letter, an' that I've found out all about it. I'm no silly like you,
Duncan, or I'd never have made head or tail of it; and then, what 'ud
become of us when we're big?"

"We shan't be hungry, or tired, or anything bad, shall we?" asked the
matter-of-fact Duncan.

Elsie's mind had passed over the trivial matter of the journey, and all
such minor details, to the grand result, when she had found their
father, and would be living with him in a beautiful place, with all that
heart could desire. But Duncan's imagination could put on no such
seven-league boots. It stuck fast at the first disagreeable details, and
was not even rewarded by the prospect which so delighted Elsie, for his
mind could not picture any other life than his present one.

"And what would you be the worse for a wee bit of hunger or tiredness?
Ain't we often that? I'm hungry now without any dinner, an' you'll be
fit to eat your head before you get your tea," said Elsie.

"Only, we shall get it," Duncan replied, in his provokingly straight
way. "If we was long on the road, where'd we get anything at all?"

"I've pennies in my box, an' so have you," Elsie replied impatiently. "A
loaf an' a drop o' milk'll be all we want."

"Oh, yes, it'll do very well on the road. There'll be shops, of course."

"Of course there will. Runnin' away isn't bad. I'd almost like to do it
just for the fun. Lots o' the books teacher's lent me out o' the school
library has got runnin' away in them. Sometimes they get into troubles,
and all sorts o' queer things happen, but it always comes right in the
end. I've noticed that particular."

They were near the village shop now, and as Duncan had no reply to make,
they went on without further conversation till they reached it. "We had
to bring you these instead o' takin' our dinners," Elsie grumbled.

"Dear, dear! poor little bodies!" said the kindly shop-dame,
compassionately.