se, quite unsuspicious of the trap laid
for her. "Master Hugh was very mischievous. Did I never tell you what
they did to their dog Caesar?"

"No, never," said both the children in a breath; "do tell us."

"Well, it was one Sunday morning, to tell it as mother told me," began
nurse. "You know, my dears," she broke off again, "it was in Scotland,
and rather an out-of-the-way part where they lived. I know the place
well, of course, for it wasn't till I was seventeen past that I ever
left it. It is a pretty place, out of the way even now, I'm told, with
railways and all, and in those days it was even more out-of-the-way. Six
miles from the church, and the prayers and the sermon very long when you
got there! Many and many a time _I've_ fallen asleep at church, when I
was a little girl. Well, to go back to Master Hugh and Miss Janet. It
was on a Sunday morning they did the queer piece of mischief I'm going
to tell you of. They had been left at home with no one but an old woman,
who was too deaf to go to church, to look after them. She lived in the
lodge close by, and used to come into the house to help when the
servants were busy, for she was a very trusty old body. It was not often
the children were left without mother, or perhaps one of the housemaids,
to take care of them, and very often in fine weather they used to be
taken to church themselves, though it was tiring like for such young
things. But this Sunday, everybody had gone to church because it was the
time of the preachings----"

"The _what_, nurse?" said Floss. "Isn't there preaching every Sunday at
church?"

"Oh yes, my dear; but what we call the preachings in Scotland means the
time when there is the communion service, which is only twice a year.
You can't understand, my dear," seeing that Floss looked as mystified as
ever; "but never mind. When you are older, you will find that there are
many different ways of saying and doing the same things in churches,
just like among people. But this Sunday I am telling you of, the
services were to be very long indeed, too long for the children,
considering the six miles' drive and all. So they were left at home with
old Phemie."

"Did they mind?" said Carrots.

"Oh no; I fancy they were very well pleased. They were always very happy
together, the two of them and Caesar."

"And of course they promised to be very good," said Floss.

"No doubt of that," said nurse, with a smile. "Well, they certainly hit
upon a quee