Dan looked at their combined wealth disgustedly.  “They’ll think we’ve been saving up for this little go,” he said in a mortified voice; “but I’ll give them the lot, and tell them it is all we have left.”

“I don’t suppose they will mind ha’pennies,” said Kitty consolingly.

“Of course they won’t,” said Betty, who was rather cross at having to lay down her beloved rose and dive for her purse; “they aren’t so silly.  Besides, they have had our apples and sandwiches already.”

“Well, don’t remind them of that again,” said Kitty anxiously, for it was just the kind of thing Betty would do; but before she could extract a promise the engine slowed down and they hastily prepared to dismount.

Dan coloured as he put the sixpenny bit and the coppers into Dumble’s grimy hand.  “I am sorry there’s such a lot of pence,” he said shyly; “but it is all we’ve got left, and—­and—­”

“Aw,” said Dumble, who had expected nothing, and was rather embarrassed than otherwise by their generosity, “thank ’ee kindly, sirs, and young leddies; there wasn’t no ’casion to give us nothing; but thank ’ee very much all the same, and ’nother time we’ll be glad to ’blige ’ee with ’nother lift.”

“Thank you very much,” said Dan.  “But it isn’t as much as it looks; it is only fourteen pence altogether.  I—­I thought I’d tell you for fear you’d be disappointed;” and thankful for the darkness which hid his embarrassment, he joined the others, and with many friendly “Good-nights” to the “Rover” they started on the last stage of their journey.

Briskly enough they started; but their pace soon changed; their feet were weary, and there was really no great need to hurry now.  There would be no scoldings or punishments when they got home, even if they were late, for no one there was very particular as to time, and there was so much to see that they did not usually see that they stopped repeatedly to look about them.  The cottages were all lighted up now, and in some of them the blinds had been left undrawn and the windows open.  Even the old wharf, too, had here and there a light gleaming out of its blackness, adding to the weird mystery of the place, and then in rattled the “Rover,” and drew up panting and throwing out deep breaths of steam and smoke and sparks, as though she had come at breakneck speed on urgent business from the extreme limits of the earth, and could scarcely be restrained from starting off again.  In the dim light they could see Dumble and Tonkin wandering round and lovingly criticizing their fiery steed. “’Er ’ave gone well to-day,” they heard Dumble saying proudly. “’Er ’ave gone like a little ’are.”

“Ay, ay, proper!” responded Tonkin with solemn emphasis.  “Since ’er was cleaned I’d back ’er agin all the new-fangled engines in the world.  Give the ‘Rover’ a fair bit of line to travel over, and ’er’ll—­well, ’er’ll do it.”

The children chuckled to themselves and moved on.  “To-night, with the ‘Rover’ drawn up in it, it doesn’t look quite so much like Quilp’s Wharf as usual,” said Kitty, looking back lingeringly at the black, ramshackle collection of old tarred sheds; “but I am sure I shall see Quilp’s boy standing on his head there one day.”