sted, 'he's awfully nice if you only knew
him. He can make you laugh. Do let us play with you. He wants to, and he
won't be rough.'

'Do,' pleaded the clown, 'I'll behave so pretty!'

'Well,' said Barbara, 'mind you do, then, or you shan't stop.'

And for a little while he did behave himself. Tommy showed him his new
soldiers, and he seemed quite interested; and then he had a ride on the
rocking horse, and was sorry when it broke down under him; and after
that he came suddenly upon a beautiful doll which belonged to the
youngest sister.

'Do let me nurse it,' he said, and the little girl gave it up timidly.
Of course he nursed it the wrong way up, and at last he forgot, and sat
down on it, the head, which was wax, being crushed to pieces!

Tommy was in fits of laughter at the droll face he made as he held out
the crushed doll at arm's length, and looked at it with one eye shut,
exclaiming, 'Poor thing! what a pity! I do 'ope I 'aven't made its 'ead
ache!'

But the two little girls were crying bitterly in one another's arms, and
Barbara turned on the clown with tremendous indignation.

'You did it on purpose, you know you did!' she said.

'Go away, little girl; don't talk to me!' said the clown, putting Tommy
in front of him.

'Tommy,' she said, 'what did you bring your friend up here for? He only
spoils everything he's allowed to touch. Take him away!'

'Barbara,' pleaded Tommy, 'he's a _visitor_, you know!'

'I don't care,' she replied. 'Mr. Clown, you shan't stay here; this is
our room, and we don't want you. Go away!' She walked towards him
looking so fierce that he backed hastily. 'Go downstairs,' she said,
pointing to the door. 'You, too, Tommy, for you encouraged him!'

'Nyah, nyah, nyah!' said the clown, a sound by which he intended to
imitate her anger. 'Oh, please, I'm going; remember me to your mother.'
And he left the room, followed rather sadly by Tommy, who felt that
Barbara was angry with him. 'That's a very disagribble little girl,'
remarked the clown, confidentially, when they were safe outside, and
Tommy thought it wiser to agree.

'What have you got in your pockets?' he asked, presently, seeing a hard
bulge in his friend's white trunks.

'Only some o' your nice soldiers,' said the clown, and walked into the
schoolroom, where there was a fire burning. 'Are they brave?' he asked.

'Very,' said Tommy, who had quite persuaded himself that this was so.
'Look here, we'll have a battle.' He