And that was the fortieth time.' They pulled the bucket in and banged down the lid of the well.

Some one padlocked it and put the key in his pocket.

And Lucy and he stood facing each other.

He was a little round-headed man in a curious stiff red tunic, and there was something about the general shape of him and his tunic which reminded Lucy of something, only she could not remember what.

Behind him stood two others, also red-tunicked and round-headed.
[Illustration: Lucy threw herself across the well parapet.] Brenda crouched at Lucy's feet and whined softly, and Lucy waited for the strangers to speak.
'You shouldn't do that,' said the red-tunicked man at last, 'it was a great shock to us, your bobbing up as you did.