Garnet also was to join the excursion and she promised to call for Winona, so that they might walk to the station together.  The latter had an early lunch, and was ready dressed and waiting for her friend by twenty minutes past twelve.  Garnet’s tram was late, and by the time she reached Abbey Close the clock pointed to the half-hour.

“I’m frightfully sorry!  You must think me a Juggins, but it wasn’t my fault!” she apologized.  “We shall have to sprint, but we’ll just do it.”

The girls set off at a tremendous pace along the Close and down the Abbey avenue, but it was difficult to keep the same speed through the town, where the streets were thronged with country people who had come in for the Saturday market.  They got along as best they could, walking first on the pavement and then on the road, dodging round stout females bearing baskets, avoiding hooting motors, and finally making a dash down a back street that led to the railway bridge.  They clattered down the steps to the booking office, secured their tickets and rushed on to the platform.  The hands of the big clock were at 12.45 exactly, the guard was about to wave his green flag.  They were too late to look for their party; they simply pelted towards the nearest carriage, a porter opened the door and they scrambled in just in the very nick of time.

“Oh, thank goodness!  Thank goodness!” gasped Garnet.  “I thought we’d miss it!  I never had such a run in my life before!  Oh!  It’s given me a stitch in my side!”

“They’ve put us in a first!” exulted Winona, breathlessly.  “We have it all to ourselves!  What luck!  Hope they won’t make a fuss about our tickets when we get out!”

“It was the porter’s fault.  He opened the door.  We’ll ask Miss Lever to explain.  I suppose the others are further along somewhere in the train.  I wonder if they saw us get in?”

“If they didn’t, it will be a surprise packet for them when we turn up.”

“Yes, they’ll have made up their minds we’re left behind.”

The two girls leaned back, enjoying the luxury of traveling in a first-class compartment.  They felt the excursion had begun well as far as they were concerned.  Their satisfaction was short-lived, however.  When they neared Barnhill, the train, instead of stopping, rushed through the station at thirty-five miles an hour.  Garnet turned to Winona in utter consternation.

“Oh, good-night!” she ejaculated.  “I verily believe we’ve gone and got into the express!”

They saw at once how it had happened.  The 12.40 fast train to Rockfield must have been five minutes late.  In their hurry they had mistaken it for the stopping train, which probably had been drawn up behind it in the station.

“Well, this is a pretty go!” agreed Winona.  “We shall be carried on to Rockfield and have to come back.”

“We shall miss the ramble!  Oh, it’s the limit of hard luck—­to see ourselves whizzing through Powerscroft!”