rt yelps of delight, twisting about
his furry little body, and wagging his queer short feathery tail, till
one could not tell what was what of him, and almost expected to see him
shake himself into bits!

"Toby, dear Toby!" cried the children, all their perplexities forgotten
for the moment. "_How_ clever of him--isn't it?--to come to see us this
morning, just as if he knew us was alone. Dear Toby--but hush! don't
make a noise, Toby, or Nurse may be vexed--are you so pleased to see us,
Toby?"

Suddenly Duke separated himself from the group of three all rolling in a
heap on the floor together and made for the table, and before Pamela
could see what he was doing he was back again--his bowl, into which he
had poured the contents of his sister's as well, in his hand, and in
another moment Toby's nose was in the bowl too, to Toby's supreme
content! It was done now--there was no stopping him till _he_ had done.
Aghast, and yet filled with admiration, Pamela could only express her
feelings by the one word--"Bruvver!"

"Isn't it a good thought?" said Duke. "Why, he'll have finished it all
in a minute, and nobody will ever know that it wasn't us. And nothing
will have been wasted. There now," as Toby, having really made
wonderfully quick work, lifted from the now empty bowl his hairy muzzle
bespattered with remains of bread and milk, which he proceeded to lick
away with his sharp bright-red tongue, with an air of the greatest
satisfaction.

For a moment or two Pamela's face expressed nothing but approval. But
gradually a little cloud stole over it.

"What shall us say if Grandpapa and Grandmamma ask if us have eaten all
our bread and milk?" she said.

Duke considered.

"Us can say the bowls are quite empty. _That_ won't be a story," and
Pamela's face cleared again. Just then she had no time for second
thoughts, for the sound of a bell ringing downstairs made both children
start.

"Prayers," they exclaimed, and as they said the word a young housemaid
put her face in at the door.

"Master Duke and Miss Pamela," she said, "Nurse says I'm to take you
down to prayers. But you must come first to wash your hands and smooth
your hair."

A very correct little couple presented themselves a few minutes later at
the dining-room door, and after the salute and the curtsey, and wishing
Grandpapa and Grandmamma "a very good morning," seated themselves one on
each side of the old lady, while Grandpapa read from the prayer-book a
f