And the roads were good with frost; and Puck's feet rang as he pattered; and the robins sat about and sang; and there were red berries on the holly, and apples to chew, so Baby chewed them as she drove. Only there were no houses near the Hole to be found, which made it rather difficult for Baby to find one. But Baby wouldn't be beat, because she didn't believe in it. So she drove round and round the rim of the Hole all day looking. And when ever they came to the corner of the road there was the Commander-in-Chief sitting on a mud-heap, reading up out of a great book. And each time they came round he jumped up, and took off his cocked hat very courteously, saying, "And have you found a house yet, Mrs. Tiny?" And each time Baby smiled back and answered, "Almost nearly quite, thank-you." Then the Commander-in-Chief cooed, "_So_ glad," and went back to his book with a little snigger. But Baby flicked up Puck and drove on. Then towards evening she came to a white house with windows under an elm with rooks. And when Baby heard the rooks, one tear went, for it made her think of her home in the Hall several miles off. And when the Junior Subaltern saw Baby's tear go, his tear went too: for his heart was pretty juicy still. So Baby pulled up Puck, while mannikin ran to his head to show he knew all about it. Then Baby looked over the gate, and said, rather trembly, "Why not this?" So the Junior Subaltern glanced over his shoulder, and whispered, "Cause you can't," and pointed to a great notice-board in the garden that said in huge letters, GO AWAY. But Baby cheered up and cocked her nose, and said to show him, "Can't I, Boy? Can," and she whipped up Puck, and nearly ran over mannikin, and went up the drive under the elms in the dusk. But the Junior Subaltern did what the notice-board told him, and jumped off, and ran away down to the Fort in the Hole, as hard as his little legs would carry him. And there they spanked him for being out after dark. But Baby drew up at the white house, and ran up the steps, and peeped into the drawing-room, where tea was, and smiled in, and said, "May we have your house, please, Tiny and me?" Then the old lady put down the teapot, and said very graciously, "Why should you, my dear?" So Baby thought for a long time with her nose in the door, and said at last, "Only because I like its looks." Then the old lady, who was a very beautiful character, and great on giving up things, said very smilingly, "Then there's no more to be said." And she got up and said to her daughter, "Come, my dear." So they went out, while Baby held the door for them. And when they got outside they remembered they were relations of the King's. So they tramped across to the Castle, and stayed there. 34 And when they were quite gone, Baby went in, and bagged a postage-stamp out of their box, and wrote on the back of it in large great letters, LET by BABY,