's when invited, and as the houses were
about four miles apart, she also knew he was in the habit of staying
there all night, if asked so to do. As regards Reuben, he too had been
there once or twice to stay with his mamma, but nurse considered very
wisely, that it was a very different thing, a child of the little one's
age going from home with or without his mamma; but still she could not
interfere more than she had done, for Reuben had certainly been put
under his brother's care. She did, however, try to persuade the little
one that he would be better at home with her, but any person who knows
the ways of children might easily guess nurse might as well have spoken
to a post as to Reuben, for all the good she did, for the boy began to
cry, and begged so hard to go with his brother to play with the big boys
at Mr. Jameson's, that she thought it as well to say no more on the
subject.

And now I must pass over some hours till the time came for John to drive
the boys over in the pony carriage to Mr. Jameson's. Marten could have
walked the four miles very well, or he could have rode there on his own
pony, but Reuben could not have walked half so far, and thus it
happened, that as John had something to do he could not leave undone, it
was quite twelve o'clock before the three arrived at Mr. Jameson's
house, and thus it chanced that they were almost the last comers of the
party of children invited to meet the Roscoes.

It was a lovely day, and as warm as any summer day, though the autumn
was just setting in, and such a group of young children were at play on
the grass plat, near the house, that the like Marten nor Reuben had
never seen before. It was such a very pretty sight, that John quite
forgot to give out of the carriage the parcel nurse had made of the
young gentlemen's clothes; and the consequence was, he had all the
trouble to come back half a mile of the road, when he suddenly bethought
himself of his forgetfulness. But as to the pretty sight John saw, I
wish I could draw you a picture of it; if I could I would, I promise
you, and I would put it in this very page for you to see. Fancy, then, a
beautifully soft velvet lawn, in front of a large handsome house, upon
which lawn the sun shines warmly but kindly, and the blue sky looks
most pleasingly there and here, broken by white clouds that relieve the
eye without obscuring the light. At the farthest end of the lawn from
the house were some fine trees, under the shelt