become too dark to stitch; they could not gō another step, and the road was very dîrty, might they get in for a little way? Now these two had stopped at the door of the Tailor's house to drink beer, and that was how they had been delayed; but the Cock, seeing they were thin people who would not take up much room, let them both get in, fîrst making them promise not to stand on his toes or the Hen'ș. Sō they went on again, and some time later came to an inn; and because the Duck had hurt her foot, and could not travel further, they stopped there. Well, at first the landlord made many objections: hiş house was füll, and he thought, moreover, they were nobody of any conseqüence; but at last, after they had all made fine speeches, and offered him the egg the Hen had laid, and the egg the Duck was to lay, hē let them remain. Sō when they had refreshed themselves they held a great revel, and qüacked and cackled and crowed till late; but early next morning, when it was still därk, and everybody elṣe was asleep, the Cock awōke the Hen, and quietly fetching the egg, brōke it, and the two ate it up together, throwing the empty shell among the ashes. Then they went to the Needle, who was fast asleep, and taking him by the head without waking him, they stuck him up in the cushion of the landlord's chair, whilst the Pin they put into the middle of the kitchen towel. This done they flew off over the fields and away. The Duck, who was sleeping in the open air in the ÿärd, heard them flỹ past, and,

getting up quickly, waddled to a pond close by, ōver which she swam faster than she had dragged the carriage. Two hours later the landlord arōṣe from his bed, and having wâshed, took up the towel in which the Pin was still taking his rest to dry himself; but in passing across his face, the Pin, suddenly trying to get upon its feet, scratched him from ear to ear! Sō he went to light his pipe for comfort; but in stirring the ashes the heated egg shells sprang up into his eyes! "Things are all going wrong with mē this morning!" said hē, sitting down hastily in his grandfather's chair; but hẽ waṣ nō sooner down than up he jumps, crying, "Woe's me! woe's mē!" for the Needle sleeping there had pricked him sōrely and now he was so completely wild, and sō suspicious that his troubles came from the guests who had arrived the night befōre, that he ran out to look after them, but he soon found they were gone; therefore he earnestly declared that he would never again take into his house such a set of ragamuffinș as these were, for they paid nō reckoning, destroyed his goods, and gave him only mischievous tricks instead of thanks.

24. THE LAPDOGS' HOLIDAY.

Two beautiful little dogs once lived in a fine lärge house; there they were washed and combed and fed with the greatest care; pretty little children, in very wide frocks and tight frilled trousers, nursed and

played with them on the soft cärpet in the drawingoom, and visitors said, "What chärming little dogs!" but some of them trod upon their toes and pushed them away with their feet slily âll the time.

Sometimes the little lapdogs were allowed to play upon the smooth green lawn when the weather was fine and dry, but they had never been outside the gate at the end of the carriage-drive in âll their lives. So they had a great deșire to go and see something more of the world than they learnt in the drawing-room and on the lawn in sunny weather.

Now it happened that one fine morning the housemaid left the hâll-door open while she went into the kitchen, and the two little dogs, seeing it, determined to slip out unperceived and to go as far as ever they could.

On they went, ōver the lawn to thē īron gāte, through the bärs, across the road, into the fields beyond.

The dew was heavy upon the grass, for it was very early, and the little dogs didn't hälf like the chilly feel of it; but the sun soon shone out stronger, and they began to look about them curiously. They saw the spiders' webs in the grass filled with thousands of tiny dew-pearls, and coüldn't think what they were; they wondered to see only daisy buds in the field and nō füll-blown flowers, for they knew nothing about daisies closing in sleep at night. They heard the lärk singing, and the notes were very sweet, but they didn't understand âll hẽ said: his song was

about being free, and they had never heard about Freedom befōre.

Well, on they went over many fields, and at last came out by a wooden gate into a pretty lāne, and there they lay down, close crouched together, to see what would come past, for they were afraid to gō further still from the house.

The little dogs looked very pretty and gentle as they caressed each other playfully, and licked each other's long silky hair to smooth it after the wetting it had got in the long grass.

They had not been there very long when they heard a bärk in the wood above them, and a shärp lively bärk it was. After awhile a rough terriër came bouncing towards them: the lapdogs were astonished, for they had never seen a terriër befōre, and they thought âll dogs looked like themselves, or like the smooth spotted carriage dog that lived in the stable. But when they saw his bright round eyes, looking kindly out of his hairy face, they felt as if they should like him, and were quite pleased when he came to speak to them at the gate.

Dogs are not obliged to wait to bē introduced, aș we are, before we can say "Good morning!"

The Lapdogs soon told their new friend how they had slipt away from the great house. The Terriër laughed and showed âll his white teeth, and actually scampered about with amüṣement at the idea of its being far from the house; but after awhile hē settled down a little, and began to tell them about himself.

He told them he came from the Island of Skye, and that his name was Jack. This puzzled the Lapdogs räther. They did not know of such a plāċe, and hälf-suspected the Terriër was hoaxing them. Then Jack was such a queer name, not a bit like theirs they were câlled Fairy and Fidèle-and that had such a very different sound! However, they did not say anything, and Jack went on to tell them he had been a great traveller.

"What, all by yourself?" cried the Lapdogs.

"No, but with mỹ mäster," said Jack. "I assure yoû it is quite pleasant to travel with an intelligent mäster like mine. I should not think of remaining with any other myself. To travel by rail in a därk box, or to be shut up in a stable when one's mäster goes out to see the town, is what no dog of spirit would submit to; but mỹ mäster (he's somewhere in the wood with his book) is really uncommonly attentive to me, and by taking pains hē can māke out almost everything I say. And I, on my pärt, am careful not to give him unnecessary trouble, and sō we are very good friends ūŝually."

The Lapdogs were quite amazed to hear Jack tâlk in this off-hand manner, and they began to feel great respect for him. They had never heard of dogs making friends of men befōre; they felt they had never been anything but playthings themselves, and they grew quite serious.

When Jack saw this, he worried them goodhumoredly about the neck, and told them to cheer