ut of the landing-window on
to the portico, the Water Rates came up the path with his book that he
tears the thing out of that says how much you have got to pay, and the
little ink-bottle hung on to his buttonhole in case you should pay him.
Father says the Water Rates is a sensible man, and knows it is always
well to be prepared for whatever happens, however unlikely. Alice said
afterwards that she rather liked the Water Rates, really, and Noel said
he had a face like a good vizier, or the man who rewards the honest boy
for restoring the purse, but we did not think about these things at
the time, and as the Water Rates came up the steps, we shovelled down
a great square slab of snow like an avalanche--and it fell right on
his head. Two of us thought of it at the same moment, so it was quite a
large avalanche. And when the Water Rates had shaken himself he rang the
bell. It was Saturday, and Father was at home. We know now that it is
very wrong and ungentlemanly to shovel snow off porticoes on to the
Water Rates, or any other person, and we hope he did not catch a cold,
and we are very sorry. We apologized to the Water Rates when Father told
us to. We were all sent to bed for it.

We all deserved the punishment, because the others would have shovelled
down snow just as we did if they'd thought of it--only they are not
so quick at thinking of things as we are. And even quite wrong things
sometimes lead to adventures; as every one knows who has ever read about
pirates or highwaymen.

Eliza hates us to be sent to bed early, because it means her having to
bring meals up, and it means lighting the fire in Noel's room ever so
much earlier than usual. He had to have a fire because he still had a
bit of a cold. But this particular day we got Eliza into a good temper
by giving her a horrid brooch with pretending amethysts in it, that an
aunt once gave to Alice, so Eliza brought up an extra scuttle of coals,
and when the greengrocer came with the potatoes (he is always late on
Saturdays) she got some chestnuts from him. So that when we heard Father
go out after his dinner, there was a jolly fire in Noel's room, and
we were able to go in and be Red Indians in blankets most comfortably.
Eliza had gone out; she says she gets things cheaper on Saturday
nights. She has a great friend, who sells fish at a shop, and he is
very generous, and lets her have herrings for less than half the natural
price.

So we were all alone in the hous