will, my darling Peterkins," replied Maggie in her joyful
voice. "Oh, this is--this is--this _is_ fun!--Come along, Belle; come
along."

"But don't let poor Jack get into a temper," said Isabel in a
half-frightened whisper.

Maggie took no notice of her. She opened the bedroom door and flew
downstairs, holding the dirty, hot little hand of Andrew, _alias_
Peterkins, while Isabel followed in their wake.

In a far-away part of the rectory garden, on a bit of waste land at
the other side of the great vegetable garden, were two hutches which
stood side by side, and these hutches contained those most adorable
creatures, the pets, the darlings of the Tristram boys.

The Tristram boys were aged eleven and ten years respectively. Jack
was eleven, Andrew ten. They were very sturdy, healthy, fine little
fellows. At present they went to a good day-school in the
neighborhood, but were to be sent to a boarding-school about the same
time as their sisters were to begin their education at Aylmer House in
Kensington. Their passion above all things was for pets. They had
tried every sort: white mice (these somehow or other were sacrificed
to the reigning cat) and waltzing mice (that shared an equally
luckless fate); these were followed by white rats, which got into the
garden and did mischief, and were banished by order of the rector, who
was a most determined master in his own house. Dogs were also
forbidden, except one very intelligent Airedale, that belonged to the
whole family and to no one in particular. But the boys must find vent
for their passion in some way, and rabbits were allowed them. At the
present moment Jack owned five, Andrew four.

In trembling triumph, Andrew brought his new friend to see his
darlings. He greatly hoped that Jack would not appear on the scene
just now. While Maggie was up in her bedroom taking off, her hat, he
had, with herculean strength, managed to move an old wooden door and
put it in such a position that Jack's hutch was completely hidden,
while his hutch shone forth in all its glory, with those fascinating
creatures Spot-ear, Angelus, Dove, and Clover looking through their
prison-bars at the tempting meal that awaited them.

"Here they are! here they are!" said Andrew. "Beauties, all four; my
own--my very own! Maggie, you may share one of them with me while you
are here. He must live in his hutch, but he shall be yours and mine.
Would you like Spot-ear? He is a character. He's the finest old