g to drive, Father?' asked Harry, in a tone of dismay, when
he saw his father take the reins.

'Yes; got any objection?'

'No--o. Only, you see, Mother does drive so beautifully.'

'Oh, yes, I know that; but Mother is pretending to be a visitor to-day,
and we are taking her for a drive.'

'Do you think nobody will get thrown out?'

'I hope not.'

'Oh, but, Father, that isn't very exciting. Just think what fun it would
be if we _all_ got thrown out, and Nannie had to put sticking plaster on
our noses.'

'Oh, yes, it would be lovely,' said the Major, dryly, and Mother, who
was pretending to be a visitor, laughed merrily.

'Turn down towards the Hall, Jack,' she said at the cross-roads. 'It is
such a pretty road.'

'So far as I can see,' exclaimed Major Raeburn, 'this little animal is
splendid between the shafts. He may have been a little too fresh
yesterday; but you must own that he has gone beautifully to-day. Haven't
you, Timmie? Hullo! what's that black thing looking over the hedge?'

'Where?' asked Harry, jumping off his seat. 'Please show me, Father. Oh,
yes, I see now! It's Sambo.'

'And who is Sambo?' queried his father.

'Why, Sambo is the Hall donkey. Once'--in a tone of great importance--'I
gave Sambo a carrot, and'--in an awe-struck voice--'he ate it!'

'Extraordinary animal!' murmured the Major, in a voice of the greatest
surprise. 'Now, then, Tim, my boy, don't get alarmed; that black head
belongs to your brother, Sambo.'

If Tim was surprised to see Sambo, Sambo was evidently still more
astonished to see him, and the black head disappeared, only to reappear
over the hedge in a line with the cart.

Up went Tim's ears in an inquiring way, and he shied violently to the
other side of the road.

'Do speak to him, Jack,' said Mrs. Raeburn. 'If he shies like that
again, he will have us all in the ditch!'

'Go on now, Tim,' and the Major gave the reins a sharp jerk; but Tim
remained stationary, gazing at Sambo. To make matters worse, he was now
standing right across the road, as this position enabled him to look at
his new friend more thoroughly.

The inspection having proved satisfactory, Sambo's head suddenly went up
in the air, and he started to bray with all the force of his powerful
lungs.

Tim stepped back in feigned alarm, till the wheels of the cart were on
the edge of the ditch; then he also raised his head, and joined in the
noise.

The sound was so deafening that Mrs. Raeburn pu