his
warcry, they rushed at the Castle, the portcullis gave way
before their furious attack, and the archers were slain at their
posts.

'Yield thee, Sir Guy de Montmorency!' cried Sir Brian, waving
his invincible sword.

'Never!' shouted the Baron, but it was his last word, for Sir
Brian stabbed him to the heart.

He had soon forced open the dungeon and released the beautiful
Lady Guinevere. The Castle was now hers, so they were married
without delay, and the King and Queen themselves came to the
wedding."

"It's perfectly splendid!" cried the girls, when Marian had finished
reading. "Nina, how did you manage to think of it?"

"Oh, I don't know; it just came!" said Nina, modestly. "I'm rather
fond of making up tales."

"There's only one thing," said Connie. "Wasn't the lady rather sorry
when her father was stabbed to the heart, even if he had shut her up
in a dungeon? I should be."

"I don't think people minded in the Middle Ages," said Nina. "You see,
somebody had to get killed, and she liked the knight best."

"But her own father!" objected Connie.

"I'm going to read the next one now," said Marian, who, as President,
felt bound to keep the peace. "I think Nina's story's very good, and
makes a capital beginning. This one seems much shorter. It's called:

MOST HASTE, LEAST SPEED

By GWENDOLEN WOODHOUSE

Matilda Jane was a girl who was always in a hurry. One day her
grandmother told her to take the bucket and fetch some water
from the well, but to be sure to tie her boot lace first. Now
Matilda Jane wanted to be very quick, so that she might go and
play, and she did not stop to tie her boot lace. As she ran out
of the door, she tripped over it and fell. The bucket rolled
from her hand and hit the dog; the dog howled and made the geese
cackle; the geese cackling made the pigs grunt; the pigs
grunting frightened the hens into the field; the hens frightened
the cow, which began to run; when the horse saw the cow running,
it ran too, and they both jumped over the hedge into the road;
then the hens flew after the horse and the cow, and the pigs
went after the hens, and the geese followed the pigs, and the
dog chased the geese, and it took Matilda Jane and her
grandmother the whole afternoon to drive them back, and all
because she had been in too great a hurry to tie her boot lace.
The mor