lost all the trains, I am sure."

They had lost all but one. It was the last.

"And we have lost the cats!" the little boys suddenly exclaimed. But
Mrs. Peterkin would not allow them to turn back in search of them.

IV.

THE PETERKINS' EXCURSION FOR MAPLE SUGAR.

It was, to be sure, a change of plan to determine to go to Grandfather's
for a maple-sugaring instead of going to Egypt! But it seemed best.
Egypt was not given up,--only postponed. "It has lasted so many
centuries," sighed Mr. Peterkin, "that I suppose it will not crumble
much in one summer more."

The Peterkins had determined to start for Egypt in June, and Elizabeth
Eliza had engaged her dressmaker for January; but after all their plans
were made, they were told that June was the worst month of all to go to
Egypt in,--that they would arrive in midsummer, and find the climate
altogether too hot,--that people who were not used to it died of it.
Nobody thought of going to Egypt in summer; on the contrary, everybody
came away. And what was worse, Agamemnon learned that not only the
summers were unbearably hot, but there really was no Egypt in
summer,--nothing to speak of,--nothing but water; for there was a great
inundation of the river Nile every summer, which completely covered the
country, and it would be difficult to get about except in boats.

Mr. Peterkin remembered he had heard something of the sort, but he did
not suppose it had been kept up with the modern improvements.

Mrs. Peterkin felt that the thing must be very much exaggerated. She
could not believe the whole country would be covered, or that everybody
would leave; as summer was surely the usual time for travel, there must
be strangers there, even if the natives left. She would not be sorry if
there were fewer of the savages. As for the boats, she supposed after
their long voyage they would all be used to going about in boats; and
she had thought seriously of practising, by getting in and out of the
rocking-chair from the sofa.

The family, however, wrote to the lady from Philadelphia, who had
travelled in Egypt, and whose husband knew everything about Egypt that
could be known,--that is, everything that had already been dug up,
though he could only guess at what might be brought to light next.

The result was a very earnest recommendation not to leave for Egypt till
the autumn. Travellers did not usually reach there before December,
though October might be pleasant on account