with just one sly glance at the bright
silk frock, whose wearer was standing beside him, 'suppose we go and pay
a visit to our friends the monkeys? That is to say, young ladies,' he
added, 'if you don't think it would be jumping out of the frying-pan
into the fire, and can endure smell better than noise.'

'Oh yes!' was the general exclamation; 'do let us go and see the
monkeys.'

'Who has got any biscuits or nuts?' inquired Dora Maitland. 'I haven't
got anything.'

'I have some pieces of biscuit left from what I bought for the
elephants,' said Mabel.

'And I have nuts in my pocket,' said Harry; 'while the monkeys are
cracking them, we can be cracking our jokes.' But these proved to be
rather unpleasant ones, to one at least of the party, who, nevertheless,
as she could not foresee what was coming, was the first to laugh at
Harry's silly speech.

The monkey-house proved, as they thought it would, anything but
agreeable to the olfactory nerves of our young friends; though their
attention was soon diverted from what was offensive, by the very amusing
gymnastics of the monkeys, who, while they performed their various feats
of skill, had evidently an eye to the main chance, and kept a vigilant
look-out for something more substantial than applause.

'Give this old fellow a bit of your biscuit, Mabel,' said Dora Maitland;
'he is evidently expecting some from us.'

Now we know that monkeys, though they are anxious expectants, are not
very gracious receivers, which poor Mabel, who seemed to, be the doomed
person, found to her cost, when, on stretching out her arm to give the
required morsel, the ungrateful recipient caught hold of the beautiful
lace sleeve, tore it from her arm, doubled it up in an instant, and
thrust it into his mouth, clambering with great rapidity to the very
top of his habitation, as if afraid of pursuit, and looking down with a
hideous grin on the astonished and disgusted parties below.

'Oh, poor mamma's beautiful lace sleeve!' ejaculated Julia, to the great
annoyance of the trembling and affrighted Mabel, on whom all eyes were
now turned.

'Oh, what a pity! what a pity!' sounded on every side; but there was no
redress, and Mabel, unable to restrain her tears, or to give vent to her
varied feelings of anger, scorn, and vexation, rushed out of the
monkey-house, leaving Julia to explain, and her friends to condole. All
the party except Harry Maitland had before seen, and very greatly
admired, th