At first, as I said, Kink and Gregory walked; but after a while they both sat in front, just over the shafts, and Gregory held the reins (he called it driving), and they discussed life--which means that Gregory asked a thousand questions and Kink did his best to answer or ignore them.
"It's not true, is it, that when all the cows in a field stand up it's going to rain ?" "Don't you think Bredon Hill would be a ripping place to start to fly from ?" "Shall we stop and cook our dinner, or have cold things ?" "It's not true, is it, that whenever you see a white horse you see a red-haired girl?
I suppose that means only in London, where there are so many people ?" "Do you know that you can't walk over London Bridge without seeing a white horse ?" "Do you think that Moses is ever going to have a stone in his shoe so that I can get it out with my knife?
Couldn't we drive him over a very stony place ?" "You can't really tell the time by dandelions, can you ?" And so forth, till Kink's head would have ached if he had not trained it not to.
Gregory was rattling on in this way when suddenly they heard a screaming and scrambling and thudding behind them, and a moment later a chaise with a little girl in it, drawn by a pair of grey ponies, dashed past at a fearful pace, only just avoiding the caravan, and disappeared in a cloud of dust; and then after a minute or so came a tremendous shattering crash, and all was still.
"It's a smash-up," said Kink, urging Moses into a trot.

"We must help them;" and at the same time Hester's white face appeared at the window and implored Kink to drive faster.
In a minute or so they saw a moving mass at the side of the road, which they knew to be the broken chaise, and a farm labourer holding the head of the one pony that was on its feet.

Kink tied Moses to a gate-post, and ran to the man's help, telling the children to wait a moment.

Both were rather frightened, and they stood hand in hand by Moses and watched.
They saw Kink lift something from the chaise and lay it on the grass.
Then they saw him hacking at the harness with his pruning-knife until the pony was free, when the man led it to another gate-post and tied it there.

Then Kink hacked again, and drew the carriage away from the pony that was lying on the ground; and then he and the man lifted the bundle once more and came with it very carefully to the Slowcoach, Kink calling out to Gregory to open the door and put some pillows on the floor.
When Kink and the man reached the Slowcoach, Hester saw that they were carrying a girl of about her own age, who was lying in their arms quite still, with her eyes closed.
They placed her gently on the cushions, and Kink dashed a little water on her face.
After a moment or so she opened her eyes and asked where she was.
"You're all right," said Hester.