y had decided to take a walk. And
if they got out, they were not content to stay in the fields, but
always found their way into the garden, where they cropped off the most
cherished shrubs and flowers.

At last Barton hit on the plan of putting them into an empty pig-sty
for the night and spreading a piece of old netting over the opening.
This was very successful for a time.

When Jack was sufficiently tamed to be led about it occurred to the
children that they might now introduce him to the Eagle's Nest. They
had rather neglected their fortress of late, having had so much
occupation at home with the goats; in fact they had not visited the
beech-tree for nearly a week, not since the eventful day when they had
seen Mrs. Howard and made acquaintance with Lewis Brand. In the new
interest of training Jack and Jill everything else had been forgotten.
But as they came near the Eagle's Nest all their old excitement in it
revived.

"Will Jack have to walk up the grand staircase or the rope-ladder?"
inquired John. "Or shall we have to lift him?"

"We can't stretch high enough to do that," observed Betty.

It was left to Madge as usual to decide this important question. She
gave it as her opinion that with a little help from behind Jack could
mount the grand staircase. "I will go up first," she said, "and pull
at his horns. Then I can let down the rope-ladder for you two."

"I thought we left the rope-ladder coiled round that bough just above
the Eagle's Nest," remarked Betty, "but I can't see it there now."

"Little Blind Eyes! Of course it must be there. I twisted it round
the branch rather tightly, on purpose that it shouldn't show from
below!" cried Madge rather impatiently, for she was leading Jack by a
piece of string, and as he continually hung back to nibble bits of
grass that looked especially tempting, it required a great deal of
waiting about and coaxing to get along at all.

"I can't see it there now," repeated Betty obstinately.

"Oh, don't go on staring up at that old rope-ladder!" exclaimed Madge,
"You just hold Jack at the bottom of the tree while I climb the grand
staircase. And then, when I am ready to pull his horns, both push him
from behind as hard as you can."

Whether Jack was more active even than they had credited him with
being, or whether the twins pushed harder than had been expected, will
never be known. At all events, long before Madge was firmly seated on
the Eagle's Nest ther