"
"With all the pleasure in life," said carrier Brown, good-naturedly.
"You want to get to fair, I suppose? Ah well, a fair's no good without
money to spend. So take this and jump up. Boxer will be all right
when he's had a bite from his nose-bag."
The inside of the van was like a cave, and the narrow seat that ran
round the inside was packed with country folks and their baskets and
parcels, going to the fair. Clean straw carpeted the floor, and a tiny
glass window at the back, six inches square, let in a few murky rays of
daylight. Two schoolboys shared the front seat with the driver, but he
made a few inches of room for Dick, and Pat snuggled down contentedly
at his feet.
The women inside talked loudly of their feelings when Boxer bolted, but
the driver still looked pale and anxious, and Dick, feeling shaken now
the strain was over, was very glad to lean back against the side and
rest. Mile after mile they rumbled on, leaving the canal with its
barges behind, and the low lying meadows with their fringes of elm and
willow.
Sometimes the way lay through narrow lanes, where the branches almost
met overhead, and the tangled hedgerows swept the canvas roof; and
sometimes the road wound upwards, and Boxer plodded from side to side
taking a zigzag course to ease the climbing, while Dick rested
luxuriously and dreamed of Ironboro'.
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