"It just fell back and turned a somersault in the grass,--evidently enjoying itself.

It had a narrow escape though!" Tom o' the Gleam stared fixedly at him.

Once or twice he essayed to speak, but no sound came from his twitching lips.

Presently, with an effort, he found his voice.
"Did you--did you stop the car and go back to see--to see if--if it was all right ?" he asked, in curiously harsh, monotonous accents.
"Stop the car?
Go back?
By Jove, I should think not indeed! I'd lost too much time already through taking a wrong turning.

The child was all right enough." "Are you sure ?" muttered Tom thickly.