Mrs Johnson said good-bye and put down the receiver. She saw Henrietta passing outside the window, looking much cleaner and tidier than usual. She called to her.

“Henry! Where are George and Anne? Julian and Dick are arriving at the bus-stop at Milling Green at eleven-thirty and I’ve said we’ll meet them in the little wagon. Will you tell George and Anne? They can put Winkie into the cart and trot him down to the bus-stop.”

“Right,” said Henry. Then she remembered that George and Anne had been sent up to Hawthorn Field with the four ponies.

“I say, they won’t be back in time!” she called. “Shall I take the wagon and meet them?”

“Yes, do. That would be kind of you, Henry,” said Mrs Johnson. “You’d better hurry, though. Time’s getting on. Where’s Winkie? In the big field?”

“Yes,” said Henry and hurried off to get him. Soon he was in the wagon shafts, and Henry was in the driving-seat. She drove off smartly, grinning to herself to think how cross George and Anne would be to find they had missed meeting the two boys after all.

Julian and Dick had already arrived at the bus-stop when Henry drove up. They looked hopefully at the wagon, thinking that perhaps one of the girls was driving into meet them.

“No go,” said Dick. “It’s somebody else, driving into the village. I wonder if the girls got our message. I thought they would meet us at the bus-stop here. Well, we’ll wait a few minutes more.”

They had just sat down on the bus-stop seat again when the wagon stopped nearby. Henry saluted them.

“Are you Anne’s brothers?” she called. “She didn’t get your telephone message, so I’ve come with the wagon instead. Get in!”

“Oh, jolly nice of you,” said Julian, dragging his things to the wagon. “Er - I’m Julian - and this is Dick. What’s your name?”

“Henry,” said Henrietta, helping Julian with his things. She heaved them in valiantly, then clicked to Winkie to stand still and not fidget. “I’m glad you’ve come. There are rather a lot of small kids at the stables. We’ll be glad of you two! I say, Timmy will be pleased to see you, won’t he?”

“Good old Tim,” said Dick, heaving his things in. Henry gave them a shove too. She wasn’t very fat but she was wiry and strong. She grinned round at the boys. “All set! Now we’ll get back to the stables. Or do you want to have an ice-cream or anything before we start? Dinner’s not till one.”

“No. We’ll get on, I think,” said Julian. Henry leapt into the driver’s seat, took the reins and clicked to Winkie. The boys were behind in the wagon. Winkie set off at a spanking pace.

“Nice boy!” said Dick to Julian, in a low voice, as they drove off. “Decent of him to meet us.”

Julian nodded. He was disappointed that Anne and George hadn’t come with Timmy, but it was good to be met by someone! It wouldn’t have been very funny to walk the long road to the farm carrying their packs by themselves.