; and the teapot, and
teacups, too, all ready for our tea, auntie, after lunch."

"She is a good girl, Sarah, and I will reward her for this," said Mrs
Gilmour, giving a final pat to the table-cloth after smoothing it down
and pulling the corners straight. "I'm afraid, though, dearie, we'll
have to wait a precious long time before Captain Dresser and the boys
come back; and, laying the table has made me feel quite hungry, I
declare."

"So am I, auntie," laughed Nell. "The sight of all the nice things is
too much. Let us go away and pick some wild-flowers till the others
come back, eh, auntie?"

"But, how can we leave the things here?" questioned the other. "Suppose
some stranger, passing by, should take a fancy to our nice luncheon?
What a terrible thing it would be to come back and find it gone! Again,
too, just think, your friends the rabbits, dearie, might take it into
their comical little heads to play at hide-and-seek amongst the dishes,
besides nibbling what they liked. How would you like that, eh?"

"Oh, auntie, how funny you are!" cried Nell, quite overcome at the idea
of the bunnies making a playground of their well-arranged table-cloth.
"But you can trust Rover to guard everything safely if we go away."

"Are you sure, dearie?" inquired her aunt. "Quite sure?"

"Certain, auntie, dear, nobody would dare to come near the spot while
he's here, for he'd pretty soon bark, and bite, too! And, as for the
poor rabbits, one sniff of his would send them all scuttling back into
their burrows. Hi, Rover!" Nell called out, after giving this
testimony on his behalf. "Lie down there, good dog, and watch!"

Rover at once cocked an eye and looked in his young mistress's face.
Next, he took note of her pointed finger, which she waved in a sort of
comprehensive curve embracing the table-cloth with its appetising
display of eatables; and then, as if he had made a mental list of all
left in his charge, he laid down in a couchant position at the head of
the table, if such it could be called, with his nose between his paws,
along which his eyes were ready to take aim at any intruder, saying, in
their fixed basilisk stare, "Now, you just touch anything, if you dare,
my friend. I should like to see you attempt it!"

"We can safely leave now, auntie," said Nellie; whereupon she and Mrs
Gilmour strayed off through the bracken, hunting here and there for
flowers on their way.

Almost the first thing to catch their s