downstairs over her sister, and Lucy was upon the point of slipping
down on the step of the hall-door; however, they all got into the coach
without any accident, and the coachman drove away, and that so rapidly
that they soon came in sight of Sir Charles Noble's house.

As it is not likely that you ever saw Sir Charles Noble's house, I will
give you some account of it. It is a very large house, built of smooth
white stone; it stands in a fine park, or green lawn, scattered over
with tall trees and shrubs; but there were no leaves on the trees at
the time I am speaking of, because it was winter.

When the carriage drove up to the hall-door, a smart footman came out,
opened the carriage-door, and showed Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild through a
great many rooms into a grand parlour, where Lady Noble was sitting
upon a sofa, by a large fire, with several other ladies, all of whom
were handsomely dressed. Now, as I told you before, Lady Noble was a
proud woman; so she did not take much notice of Mrs. Fairchild when she
came in, although she ordered the servants to set a chair for her. Miss
Augusta Noble was seated on the sofa by her mamma, playing with a very
beautiful wax doll; and her two brothers, William and Edward, were
standing by her; but they never came forward to Mrs. Fairchild's
children to say that they were glad to see them, or to show them any
kind of civility. If children knew how disagreeable they make
themselves when they are rude and ill-behaved, surely they would never
be so, but would strive to be civil and courteous to everyone.

Soon after Mrs. Fairchild was seated, a servant came to say that Miss
Noble's and Master William's and Master Edward's dinners were ready.

"Go, Augusta," said Lady Noble, "to your dinner, and take Master and
Misses Fairchild with you; and, after you have dined, show them your
playthings and your baby-house."

Miss Augusta got up, and, as she passed by Emily and Lucy, she said in
a very haughty way, "Mamma says you must come with me."

So Emily and Lucy followed Miss Augusta, and the little boys came after
them. She went up a pair of grand stairs, and along a very long gallery
full of pictures, till they came to a large room, where Miss Augusta's
governess was sitting at work, and the children's dinner set out in
great order. In one corner of the room was the baby-house. Besides the
baby-house, there was a number of other toys--a large rocking-horse, a
cradle with a big wooden doll