I sat down on the pavement and cried. Now I had lost everything I owned in the world, and had no money for the coach fare to Dover. In the end I decided I would have to walk there, and I started the long journey. It took me six days to cover the hundred kilometres, as I got tired very easily, and had to rest. I sold my jacket for a shilling，so that I could buy bread and milk on the way，and at night I slept indisused farm buildingsor under trees. Sometimes I was afraid of the dangerous－looking beggars and thieves I met on the road，but I knew I had to keep going. As I walked，I thought of my mother's gentle，pretty face. I felt sure she would approve of what I was doing，and thatencouraged me tocontinue.

But when I arrived in Dover，it seemed a much larger town than I had imagined. I spent a whole morning asking people if they knew where Miss Betsey Trotwood lived. Finally I found someone who recognized the name and showed me the way to her house. I stood at her front door，in the neat little garden，for a few moments，trembling with fear，and wondering what my aunt would think of me. My face and hands were dirty，my hair was unbrushed，and my clothes were torn and dusty. Perhaps she wouldn't even want to invite me into her house！