for mine," said Ben; and he
pulled out of his pocket the fine long smooth string which had tied up
the parcel. With this he soon set up his top, which spun admirably well.

"Oh, how I wish that I had but a string!" said Hal: "what shall I do for
a string? I'll tell you what: I can use the string that goes round my
hat."

"But then," said Ben, "what will you do for a hatband?"

"I'll manage to do without one," said Hal and he took the string off his
hat for his top. It soon was worn through; and he split his top by
driving the peg too tightly into it. His cousin Ben let him set up his
the next day; but Hal was not more fortunate or more careful when he
meddled with other people's things than when he managed his own. He had
scarcely played half an hour before he split it, by driving in the peg
too violently.

Ben bore this misfortune with good humor. "Come," said he, "it can't be
helped! But give me the string, because _that_ may still be of use for
something else."

It happened some time afterwards, that a lady who had been intimately
acquainted with Hal's mother at Bath, that is to say, who had frequently
met her at the card table during the winter, now arrived at Clifton. She
was informed by his mother that Hal was at Mr. Gresham's: and her sons,
who were _friends_ of his, came to see him, and invited him to spend the
next day with them.

Hal joyfully accepted the invitation. He was always glad to go out to
dine, because it gave him something to do, something to think of, or, at
least, something to say. Besides this, he had been educated to think it
was a fine thing to visit fine people; and Lady Diana Sweepstakes (for
that was the name of his mother's acquaintance) was a very fine lady;
and her two sons intended to be very _great_ gentlemen.

He was in a prodigious hurry when these young gentlemen knocked at his
uncle's door the next day; but just as he got to the hall door, little
Patty called to him from the top of the stairs, and told him that he
had dropped his pocket-handkerchief.

"Pick it up, then, and bring it to me, quick, can't you, child," cried
Hal, "for Lady Di.'s sons are waiting for me?"

Little Patty did not know anything about Lady Di.'s sons; but as she was
very good-natured, and saw that her cousin Hal was, for some reason or
other, in a desperate hurry, she ran down stairs as fast as she possibly
could towards the landing-place, where the handkerchief lay:--but alas!
Before she reached t