rchers marched, the spectators admired. Hal
stepped proudly, and felt as if the eyes of the whole universe were upon
his epaulettes, or upon the facings of his uniform; whilst all the time
he was considered only as part of a show. The walk appeared much shorter
than usual; and he was extremely sorry that Lady Diana, when they were
half way up the hill leading to Prince's Place, mounted her horse,
because the road was dirty, and all the gentlemen and ladies who
accompanied her, followed her example. "We can leave the children to
walk, you know," said she to the gentleman who helped her to mount her
horse. "I must call to some of them, though, and leave orders where they
are to _join_."

She beckoned: and Hal, who was foremost, and proud to show his alacrity,
ran on to receive her ladyship's orders. Now, as we have before
observed, it was a sharp and windy day; and though Lady Diana
Sweepstakes was actually speaking to him, and looking at him, he could
not prevent his nose from wanting to be blown; he pulled out his
handkerchief, and out rolled the new ball, which had been given to him
just before he left home, and which, according to his usual careless
habits, he had stuffed into his pocket in a hurry. "Oh, my new ball!"
cried he, as he ran after it. As he stooped to pick it up, he let go his
hat, which he had hitherto held on with anxious care; for the hat,
though it had a fine green and white cockade, had no band or string
round it. The string, as we may recollect, our wasteful hero had used in
spinning his top. The hat was too large for his head without this band;
a sudden gust of wind blew it off--Lady Diana's horse started and
reared. She was a _famous_ horse-woman, and sat him to the admiration of
all beholders; but there was a puddle of red clay and water in this
spot, and her ladyship's uniform-habit was a sufferer by the accident.

"Careless brat!" said she. "Why can't he keep his hat upon his head?"

In the meantime, the wind blew the hat down the hill, and Hal ran after
it, amidst the laughter of his kind friends, the young Sweepstakes, and
the rest of the little regiment. The hat was lodged at length, upon a
bank. Hal pursued it: he thought this bank was hard. But, alas! the
moment he set his foot upon it, the foot sank. He tried to draw it back,
his other foot slipped, and he fell prostrate, in his green and white
uniform, into the treacherous bed of red mud. His companions, who had
halted upon the top of