him, he had made it rather smeary, and also left a
goodly portion in the roots of his hair.

Poor Mary gathered herself up, sobbing half hysterically that it wasn't
her fault. "No," said Harry, stoutly. "It wasn't Mary's fault. We all
had a share in it."

As for Mr and Mrs Inglis, they took the sensible view of the case,
that it was an accident, which only resulted in the breakage of a plate,
and the loss of two or three eggs; for Harry declared that the cake was
"All right," and they would eat it; go they returned to the
breakfast-parlour, mutually glad that Mary was not bringing in the
tea-urn, when the accident might have been of a very serious nature.
But when the boys had made themselves respectable, and descended again
to breakfast, all this involved some rather serious talk upon the part
of Mr and Mrs Inglis, but did not seem to spoil the boys' breakfast
the least bit in the world; while as to the cake, they said it wasn't a
bit the worse, only rather gritty with a few little bits of china that
had been left in from the broken plate.

"Well, boys," said Mr Inglis at last, "what have you been doing this
morning?"

"Riding, Papa, in the field, and Fred, too. We had such capital fun,
and old Dumpling seems to like it as well as any of us."

"Yes, I suppose so," said the Squire; "but I should think he liked it
best when you left him in peace, and he had got rid of such a pack of
wild young dogs, baiting and bothering him. Now," he continued, "what
are we going to do to-day?"

"Let's go and catch another great pike," said Fred.

Mr Inglis laughed, and told him that they might go fifty times and not
catch such another fish as the last; which I forgot to say in the proper
place was baked by the cook, with what she called a pudding inside it,
and eaten in triumph by the fishing-party, aided by Mrs Inglis, and
declared to be the best fish that ever came out of the river.

"Let's go botanising, Papa," said Philip, "and go up the Camp Hill. It
would be so nice, and then we should have to take our dinners with us,
and Mamma would come too. Oh, do let's go there. You'll come, won't
you, Mamma?"

But Mamma declined, for she had promised to go out for a drive with a
near neighbour; but said that she should much enjoy, the trip upon
another occasion. It was therefore decided that there should be a
botanising trip on the next day but two, the following day being
Saturday.

"Let's play cricket, Papa, and you