By one o'clock she was at the end of Litany Lane, where the cart with long seats was already waiting; its arrival had become known to the little ones, and very few needed summoning.

Of course there were disappointments now and again.
In spite of mothers' promises, half the children had their usual dirty faces, and showed no sign of any preparation.

Five or six of them had nothing to put on their heads; two had bare feet.

It was too late to see to these things now; as they were, the children clambered, or were lifted, on to the cart, and Ida took her seat among them.

Then a crack of the driver's whip, and amid the shouts of envious brothers and sisters, and before the wondering stare of the rest of the population, off they drove away.
"Who'd like an apple ?" Ida asked, as soon as they were well clear of the narrow streets.