cCoy.

"I dunno nuffin'," replied Dan, "'xcep' he's not here."

"Well, I must go an' seek 'im. You stop an' play here. I leave 'em in
your care, Toc. See you be good."

It would have amused you, reader, if you had seen with your bodily eyes
the little creatures who were thus warned to be good. Even Dan McCoy,
who was considered out and out the worst of them, might have sat to
Rubens for a cherub; and as for the others, they were, we might almost
say, appallingly good. Thursday October, in particular, was the very
personification of innocence. It would have been much more appropriate
to have named him Sunday July, because in his meek countenance goodness
and beauty sat enthroned.

Of course we do not mean to say that these children were good from
principle. They had no principle at that time. No, their actuating
motive was selfishness; but it was not concentrated, regardless
selfishness, and it was beautifully counteracted by natural amiability
of temperament.

But they were quite capable of sin. For instance, when Sally had left
them to search for her lost sheep, little Dan McCoy, moved by a desire
for fun, went up behind little Charlie Christian and gave him an
unmerited kick. It chanced to be a painful kick, and Charlie, without a
thought of resentment or revenge, immediately opened his mouth, shut his
eyes, and roared. Horrified by this unexpected result, little Dan also
shut his eyes, opened his mouth, and roared.

The face that Charlie made in these circumstances was so ineffably
funny, that Toc burst into uncontrollable laughter. Hearing this, the
roarers opened their eyes, slid quickly into the same key, and tumbled
head over heels on the grass, in which evolutions they were imitated by
the whole party, except such as had not at that time passed beyond the
staggering age.

Meanwhile Sally searched the neighbouring bush in vain; then bethinking
her that Matt Quintal, who was fond of dangerous places, might have
clambered down to the rocks to bathe, she made the best of her way to
the beach, at a place which, being somewhat difficult of access from
above, was seldom visited by any save the wild and venturesome.

She had only descended a few yards when she met the lost one clambering
up in frantic haste, panting violently, his fat cheeks on fire, and his
large eyes blazing.

"Oh, Matt, what is it?" she exclaimed, awestruck at the sight of him.

"Sip!--sip!" he cried, with labouring breath, as