he only rain that had fallen was that which
accompanied the thunderstorm, and since then the hot sun had drawn all
the moisture from the surface, so that many things began to appear
parched, and to flag in the noontide heat. Altogether it was a regular
soaking morning; and, after being very tired overnight, when people get
up on these very wet soaky mornings they are liable to get low-spirited,
and to feel dull--there is a want of elasticity in the air, and the
consequence is that folks feel yawny, or gapish, whichever is the best
word; and after looking out at the gloomy prospect--for places will look
rather gloomy in these heavy rains, which are very different things to
the soft, passing showers which lay the parched dust, and when the sun
shines forth brighter than ever soon after, and makes the pearly drops
glitter and sparkle where they hang to spray or leaf--I say, after
looking out at the gloomy prospect, people often turn round and look at
their bed, and the nice comfortably-shaped impression they left there;
and I have known people so weak as to get into bed again and go to
sleep; and amongst those weak enough to get into bed was Fred; but he
would have required to have been strong enough to go to sleep, for,
directly after, Harry and Philip charged into the room nearly dressed;
and seeing what Fred had been doing, they seized the clothes, whisked
them off, and then pretended to smother the poor idler with his own
pillow.

"Now ain't that sneaky, Phil, to call two fellows up and then go and
crawl into bed again? Fetch the sponge."

But Fred did not wait for the sponge, for he began to shuffle into his
clothes as hard as ever he could.

"Well, look what a miserable, cold, wet morning it is," said the
sluggard.

Harry ran to the window and looked out, and then made a grimace at the
weather. "Oh," said he, "what a bother; and we were going up the Camp
Hill botanising."

"No, we weren't," said Philip; "Papa said we should not go till Monday."

"Good job, too," said Harry; "but never mind, we'll find something to
do, see if we don't. Oh! I know; Papa promised to bring out the
microscope last sight and show us the insects, only we all went to
sleep. I was so jolly tired."

"You weren't so tired as I was," said Philip.

"Yes, I was," said Harry, "ever so much more."

"I know you weren't," said Philip.

"How do you know that?" said Harry.

"How do you know that you were?" said Philip.

"Because I