.

"Sit down, my dears," said Mrs. Hart, with an admiring glance from one
to the other. "I have told your father about the sad trick you played
upon your cousin."

"Yes, you young rogues," added Mr. Hart, with affected sternness: "you
have driven her out of the house."

"Joe," said the boy on the left, to his brother across the table, "ain't
you glad she's gone?"

"You bet I am. She's too stiff and steep for me. Spoiled all the fun we
had."

"And so you spoiled her cuffs and collars for her. It was too bad
altogether. I'm afraid there won't be much comfort for anybody in this
house till you two get back to Grantley."

"Fuz," said Joe, "do you hear that? They're going to give us another
term at Grantley."

"I don't care how soon we go, so we haven't got to board at old mother
Myers's."

"I can't say about that," said Mr. Hart. "I half made her a promise"--

"That we'd board there?" exclaimed Fuz rebelliously.

"Now, boys," said their mother, in a gentle voice, that sounded a little
like good Mrs. Foster's; but Joe sustained his brother with,--

"Prison-fare, and not half enough of it. I just won't stand it another
winter!"

"I'm not so sure it will be necessary, after all," said their father,
who seemed to have dismissed Annie's grievance from his mind for the
present. "Your cousin Ford is sure to go; and I'm almost certain of
another boy, besides the missionary's son. If she gets a few others
herself, her house'll be full enough, and you can board somewhere else."

"Hurrah for that!" shouted Fuz. "And, if the new house doesn't feed us
well, we'll tear it down."

"If you don't tear ours down before you go, I'll be satisfied. Maria,
you must write to your sister, and smooth the matter over. Boys will be
boys, and I wouldn't like to have any coolness spring up. Mr. Foster'll
understand it."

That was very nearly all that was said about it, and the two boys
evidently had had no need for any hesitation in coming in to breakfast.

They were not so bad-looking a pair, as boys go; although it may be few
other people would have seen so much to admire in them as their mother
did.

Joe, the elder, was a loud, hoarse-voiced, black-eyed boy, of seventeen
or thereabouts, with a perpetual grin on his face, as if he had
discovered in this world nothing but a long procession of things to be
laughed at. Foster, so named after his lawyer relative, was a year and a
half younger, but nearly as tall as Joe. He was pale