ng her face, while her two little
kittens slept in the hay; and she gave Fleet a warm welcome.

"Good evening, Mrs. Muffet," said he.

"Good evening, Friend Fleet," answered she.

"How are the children?" asked the good dog, "and do they grow?"

"Grow?" said Mrs. Muffet. "You never saw anything like them! and such
tricks as they play! Tittleback is the merrier, and will play with his
own tail when he can find nothing else; but Toddlekins can climb in a
way that is astonishing. Why, he even talks of going to the top of the
barn, and no doubt he will, some day."

"No doubt, no doubt," said Fleet. "Children are so remarkable now."

"But what is the news with you, Friend Fleet?" inquired Mrs. Muffet.

"Nothing at all," said Fleet. "The barnyard is as quiet"--but just as he
spoke there arose such a clatter outside the door that he sprang to his
feet to see what was the matter, and the two kittens waked up in alarm.
Outside, the yard was in a commotion. Everybody was talking at the same
time. The hens were cackling, the roosters crowing, the ducks quacking,
the calf crying, and the sound of flying hoofs could be heard far down
the road.

"Pray, what is the matter?" said Fleet to three geese, that were
hurrying along, with their necks stretched out.

"The gate is open, the brown colt's gone, the brindle calf's going and
we are thinking about it; quawk! quawk!" said the three geese, Mrs.
Waddle, Mrs. Gabble, and Mrs. Dabble.

"Where are you going?" asked Mrs. Muffet, putting her head out of the
barn door.

"Out into the world," said the three geese together.

"You'd better go back to your pond," barked Fleet, as he bounded off to
help the cook, who was waving her apron to keep back the brindle calf,
while the milkmaid shut the gate, and little Dick ran down the road
after the brown colt.

The brown colt kicked up his heels, and did not care how fast Dick ran.
He had all the world to roam in, and the green grass was growing
everywhere; so he tossed his head and galloped away toward the blue
hills.

After a while he looked to see whether Dick was still following him, but
nobody was in sight; so he lay down and rolled over among the daisies;
and this was such fun that he tried it again, and again, until he was
tired.

Then he nibbled the grass awhile, but soon decided to take another run;
and he raised such a dust, as he scampered along, that the birds peeped
down from the trees to see what it was, and a little r