aw such a nice, clean, funny place as this, in all
your life!--make haste!--come faster!--never mind crushing your hat or
tearing your jacket,--I'll put it all to rights. Ah! there!--that's the
thing!--walk up, gentlemen! walk up!--the grand show!--sixpence each,
and children half-price!"

All this time, Harry was slowly, and with great difficulty, picking his
steps up the ladder, but a most troublesome business it was! First, his
foot became entangled in a rope,--then his hat got squeezed so out of
shape, it looked perfectly tipsy,--next, one of his shoes nearly came
off,--and afterwards he dropped his gloves; but at last he stumbled up
in safety, and stood beside Peter in the loft, both laughing with
delight at their own enterprize.

The quantity of hay piled up on all sides, astonished them greatly,
while the nice, wide floor between, seemed larger than any drawing-room,
and was certainly made on purpose for a romp. Harry rolled up a large
ball of hay to throw at Peter, while he, in return, aimed at him, so
they ran after each other, round and round the loft, raising such a
riot, that the very "rafters dirled."

The hay now flew about in clouds, while they jumped over it, or crept
under it, throwing handfuls about in every direction, and observing that
this was the best play-room they had ever been in.

"How lucky that we came here!" cried Peter. "I should like to stay an
hour at least!"

"Oh! two hours,--or three,--or all day," added Harry. "But what shall we
do about Mrs. Crabtree? She has not gone to settle for life with that
old sick aunt, so I am afraid we must really be hurrying back, in case
she may find out our expedition, and that, you know, Peter, would be
dreadful!"

"Only fancy, Harry, if she sees you and me clinging to the ladder, about
half way down! what a way she would be in!"

"We had better make haste," said Harry, looking around. "What would
grandmama say!--I wish we had never come up!"

At this moment, Harry was still more brought to his senses, by hearing
Mrs. Crabtree's voice, exclaiming, in loud angry accents, "Where in all
the world can those troublesome boys be gone! I must tether them to a
tree the next time they are left together! Why! sure! they would not
venture up that long ladder in the hay-loft! If they have, they had
better never come down again, for I shall shew who is master here."

"Peter Grey would run up a ladder to the stars, if he could find one,"
replied Betty. "Her