trying to hide her sparkling
eyes, and her funny little laugh behind her mother's arm, he felt just
as if somebody was tickling him. So he pinched his lips together very
tight indeed, and casting his eyes up to the ceiling, tried to look as
grave as a judge. But it would not do; he burst out into such a fit of
laughing, that everybody else laughed too, and it was a long time before
they could get their faces straight enough to eat their dinner.

Would you like to know what they had for dinner? Well, I will tell you.
After their Grandpa had asked a blessing, they had some very nice soup.
The children did not care for soup. Then they had a fish stuffed with
all sorts of things, and stewed, and the grown people said the fish was
very nice; but the little ones did not care for that either. They then
had some roast beef and a boiled turkey with oysters. The children all
took turkey; Willy asked for a drum-stick, and his cousin Mary said he
wanted it to beat the monkey he ate in the morning. Bella chose a
merry-thought; little Sarah liked a hug-me-fast; Carry took a
wishing-bone; Thomas said he would have the other drum-stick to help
beat the monkey, and Fanny thanked her Grandma for a wing, so that she
could fly away when the beating of the monkey took place.

But this was not half the good things, for they afterwards had some
delicious game, such as partridges, and woodcocks, and some fried
oysters. All this pleased the grown people most. The children saved
their appetites for the dessert. Well, after this, the cloth was taken
off, and under that was another table-cloth just as white and fine as
the first.

Then came something that was quite astonishing. What do you think it
was? It was a great plum-pudding all on fire! it blazed away terribly,
and Willy thought they had better send for the fire-engines to put it
out; but it was blown out very easily, and the children each had a very
small piece, because it was too rich to eat much of, and their parents
did not wish to make them ill.

After that there came ice-creams, and jellies, and sweetmeats, that were
perfectly delicious; and then the other white cloth was taken off, and
under that was a beautiful red one. Then the servants put on the table
what the children liked best of all, and that was a dish of fine
motto-kisses, and oranges, and grapes, and other nice fine fruits.

The children sent the mottoes to each other, and had a great deal of
sport. Some one sent Wil