. Trot--trot, went the pony, and
Fred thought it was horrible, for it rucked his trousers up, and shook
and bumped him ten times more than when he was cantering. But Fred was
too much of a stoic to find fault, and sat it out famously, for Harry
now caught up to him, and, seizing the halter, ran by his side till they
reached the fence again, when Fred dismounted.

"Why, I thought you said that you couldn't ride!" said Philip, now
coming up quite out of breath. "Why, you ride better than we do; don't
he, Hal?"

"Ride! of course he can," said Harry, "better than I can; but a couple
of old clothes-props, tied together, and put straddling over the pony,
would ride better than--Oh! don't, Phil, it hurts," he continued, as
Philip indulged his brother with a few thumps in the back to repay the
compliment that he had given to the punisher.

"There goes the bell," said Fred, with a hunger-sharpened sense, running
off full race towards the house, closely followed by his cousins, who
could not, however, catch up to him until they reached the side-door,
through which they all rushed together with such impetus, that they came
in contact with Mary, who was carrying a plate of hot cake and some eggs
into the breakfast parlour.

"Squawk," said Mary, as she was regularly upset, and they all went
down--boys, plate, eggs, tray, and all--in one heap upon the passage
floor.

Out came Mrs Inglis, and out came the Squire, and out ran the cook from
the kitchen; and then everybody began to talk at once, so that the
confusion grew worse than ever.

Master Harry was the first to get up, and, instead of trying to assist
his companions in misfortune, or to rub the dust off his clothes, he
began to collect the cake together; and, as the plate was broken, he
very carefully arranged the three-cornered wedges on the top of his
straw hat, as though the cake had been a puzzle.

As for Fred, he had quite a job to disentangle himself from Mary; for,
when she was going down, she loosed her hold of the little tray she was
carrying, and caught hold of Fred, and, of course, they went down
together. But when Fred got up, he stood shaking his ear, and trying to
get rid of the buzzing sound produced by Mary's piercing scream.

Philip was in the worst plight, for he went head first amongst the eggs,
and was in consequence rather eggy. He was quite aware of his
misfortune, and had been wiping the rich yolk off his face; but, not
having a glass before