"Oh, the poor dear!" sighed Cora. "To think that our sport should have--" Cecilia was opening her eyes. "Clip! Clip, dear!" whispered Cora. "Try to--wake up!" Cecilia did try--she put her hand to her dazed eyes. "Here! Let me lift her," commanded Jack, slipping down on the other side into the deep grass and without any apparent effort lifting Cecilia up. With one long step he reached the road. Then for a moment he seemed uncertain--should he lay the girl down, or carry her to a machine? "Oh, I can stand," she said faintly. "I am much better now. What--happened?" "You happened," answered Jack, so dismissing the question. "Just keep still, and we will have you around directly. This is where you beat the motor girls." He was now helping her to her feet. "You may ride back with the motor boys." "Are you better?" asked Ray anxiously, stroking Cecilia's white hand, which had been divested of its glove. "Wasn't it dreadful?" "Very," sighed Cecilia. "And my poor little machine! Jack, how can I ever--" "You can never," he insisted with a wink. "I never saw such a rambunctious ram. Didn't he ramify, though?" "What in the world was it?" asked Cecilia. She was sitting on the grass and seemed almost prepared to laugh. "I thought I must be seeing things. Then I--" "Felt things," said Jack. "That's the regular course of the disease. Here come the others. Hello, Daisy has the veil tied up, and Maud is limping." "What happened to them?" asked Cecilia. "Same thing that happened to you," replied Jack. "The ram. That was the most happening thing I have seen in some time." Maud was limping, and had Ed's arm. Daisy kept her hand to her face, and she clung to Walter. Hazel flashed a meaning look to Cora. The girls might not be very badly injured, but they needed help--that sort of help. "Well!" exclaimed Cora. "You look as if something did happen." "Oh, I'm all scratched," fluttered Daisy. "That is, my face feels like a grater." She took her handkerchief from the abused face. A few harmless scratches were discernible. "Not so bad," said Jack. "Just the correct lines, I believe, for--let me see--intellectuality." "Oh, you needn't joke," snapped Daisy. "I suppose Cecelia--is--badly hurt!" She said this with the evident intention of drawing attention to Jack's attitude toward Cecilia. "Now, Daisy," said Jack good-naturedly, "if you want to dump in the ditch again, and will only give me the chance, I will be perfectly delighted to fish you out: I fancy I would get you first shot." "Oh, you need not bother," interrupted Walter. "I can take care of Miss Bennet." At this he spread his handkerchief most carefully on the grass, and, with mock concern, assisted Daisy to the low seat. Ed followed suit, adding to the handkerchief cushion his cap--to make the grass softer for Maud. "But however did you happen along, Cecilia?" asked Belle, who now added her dainty self to the line of girls on the roadside.