' to be an hour or so in there, attendin' on your
gran'ma. Or will I send up Bridget to be lookin' afther ye?"

"Oh no, please!" said Terry, "we can look after ourselves till you come
back. Now, can't we, Turly?"

Turly, who was riding from Kimberley to Pretoria on the newly-painted
rocking-horse, waved an assent, and Nurse Nancy left the nursery without
misgiving.

She was not long gone before Terry began to get impatient with the new
dolls. She had inspected them inside and outside, found what they were made
of, satisfied herself as to whether or not their clothes came off and on,
tossed up their curls and smoothed them down again, shaken them up and told
them to stand up straight, which they promptly refused to do. At last it
seemed that there was nothing more to be done with them.

"Oh, you _are_ stupid!" she exclaimed; "staring with your glassy eyes,
always your same pink cheeks, and never saying a word."

"Dolls don't talk," said Turly, who was now solemnly engaged in making a
play on the floor with a box of soldiers.

"Of course they don't," said Terry. "That's just what it is. I hate playing
with things that have got no life in them!"

"Soldiers aren't alive," said Turly, as one tumbled over and he set it up
again, "but I'm having a splendid battle."

"Oh, Turly, how can you? Oh, I do so want things to be alive! Now, do just
come over to the window and look down into the yard at Vulcan sitting in
his kennel, poor dear, when he is longing to be running all over the world!
Oh, I declare, he sees us, and is wagging his tail! Just look at his big
eyes and his nose pointed up at us. Now, that is the kind of creature I
want to play with. But there he is shut up in his cage, and we--"

"Can't we go down to him?" said Turly.

"It's too wet. Nurse would be in such a fuss if we played in the yard. But
I don't see why we mightn't bring him up. He's the watch-dog, and
watch-dogs are only wanted there at night. It couldn't be any harm to have
him up here only for half an hour or so. I'll wipe his paws on the mat so
that he sha'n't make any mess. And he doesn't bark much unless he hears a
noise at night, so I am sure he wouldn't disturb Grandma."

Turly had swept away his soldiers, and stood up ready for the adventure.

"I won that battle," he said; "so now, come on!"

"Take my hand, Turly. They sha'n't say I led you into mischief this time,"
said Terry. "I'll take care you don't fall down the back stairs."

[I