space of five minutes, when Frank presented it
to her, saying, in his joyous merry voice, "Mrs. Crabtree! I wish you
health to wear it, strength to tear it, and money to buy another!"

Certainly there never was such a gown before! It had been chosen by
Frank and Harry together, who thought nothing could be more perfect. The
colour was so bright an apple-green, that it would have put any body's
teeth on edge to look at it, and the whole was dotted over with large
round spots of every colour, as if a box of wafers had been showered
upon the surface. Laura wished Mrs. Crabtree might receive a present
every day, as it put her in such good-humour, and nearly three weeks
after passed this, without a single scold being heard in the nursery;
so Frank observed that he thought Mrs. Crabtree would soon be quite out
of practice.

"Laura!" said Major Graham, looking very sly one morning, "have you
heard all the new rules that Mrs. Crabtree has made?"

"No!" replied she in great alarm; "what are they?"

"In the first place, you are positively not to tear and destroy above
three frocks a-day; secondly, you and Harry must never get into a
passion, unless you are angry; thirdly, when either of you take
medicine, you are not to make wry faces, except when the taste is bad;
fourthly, you must never speak ill of Mrs. Crabtree herself, until she
is out of the room; fifthly, you are not to jump out of the windows, as
long as you can get out at the door"----

"Yes!" interrupted Laura, laughing, "and sixthly, when uncle David is
joking, we are not to be frightened by anything he says!"

"Seventhly, when next you spill grandmama's bottle of ink, Harry must
drink up every drop."

"Very well! he may swallow a sheet of blotting paper afterwards, to put
away the taste."

"I wish every body who writes a book, was obliged to swallow it," said
Harry. "It is such a waste of time reading, when we might be amusing
ourselves. Frank sat mooning over a book for two hours yesterday when we
wanted him to play. I am sure, some day his head will burst with
knowledge."

"That can never happen to you, Master Harry," answered Major Graham;
"you have a head, and so has a pin, but there is not much furniture in
either of them."

CHAPTER II.

THE GRAND FEAST.

She gave them some tea without any bread,
She whipp'd them all soundly, and sent them to bed.

Nursery Rhymes.

Lady Harriet Graham was an