k behind the ice-house; then on a
garden chair; and then on the bench at the foot of the great walnut
tree. They picked a few currants and ate them; and they gathered some
roses and smelled them. For some time they held their parasols over
their heads; and then they shut them, and made marks on the gravel with
the ends of the ivory sticks. They looked awhile at a nursery of young
peach-trees at one side of the garden; and then they turned and looked
towards a clover-field on the other side. Josephine pulled the strings
of her reticule backwards and forwards; and Rosalind counted the
palisades in the fence of the kitchen-garden. At last a bright idea
struck her; and she gathered some dandelions that were going to seed,
and blew off the down; recommending the same amusement to Josephine,
who, after two or three trials, gave it up.

"Suppose we go to the play-room," said Rosalind. Josephine assented, and
they slowly walked back to the house, and ascended the stairs. "Now,"
said Rosalind, "we can play domino _in the morning_. Generally, we never
amuse ourselves with any of those little games in the day-time; though
we have domino, draughts, and loto, sometimes in the evening." They
played domino awhile in a very spiritless manner, and then they tried
draughts and loto, which they also soon gave up; Josephine saying that
all these games required too much attention. She then had recourse to
the rocking-chair, and Rosalind took some white paper and cut fly-traps;
in which amusements they tried to get rid of the time till near the
dinner-hour, when they combed their hair, and changed their dresses.
Adelaide did not join them in the play-room, being much engaged with a
very amusing book.

After dinner, Rosalind, accompanied Josephine to her room to take a nap
likewise. But she found it so warm, and turned and tossed about so much,
and had such difficulty in fixing herself in a comfortable position,
that she thought, if it was not for the name of taking a nap, she had
better have stayed up as usual. Josephine had less difficulty, being
accustomed to afternoon-sleeping; and at length Rosalind shut her eyes,
and fell into a sort of uneasy doze.

When they awoke, Rosalind proposed that they should put on their frocks,
and go down into the porch, where Mrs. Mortlake and Adelaide were
reading and sewing. But Josephine thought it would be much less trouble
to sit in their loose gowns until near tea-time. To this Rosalind
agreed, and