must lead. What shall we have?"

"Lucy knows a thousand thousand games!" cried Henry.

After some talking, "Hunt the Hare" was chosen; and Lucy, who was a
particularly quick runner, was chosen for the hare, and everyone was to
follow Lucy in and out wherever she went.

All the children were to stand with joined hands in a circle; Lucy was
to be in the middle. They began with dancing round her, and when they
stopped she was to begin to run, and after ten had been counted, one
other was let loose to follow her, and then the whole pack, as Henry
called them, at a signal given.

Miss Darwell got between Henry and Emily in the circle; Lucy was put
into the midst; and they danced round her, singing, "My leader, my
leader, I will follow my leader wherever she goes!" Then they stood
still, and Lucy began to run out under one pair of hands and in under
another, and back again, and about and about like a needle in a piece
of cloth; and when ten had been counted, Henry was let loose, and then
the sport really began. They expected he would have caught her
immediately; he was as quick as ever his little legs would allow, and
as true to all her windings as the thread is to those of the needle.
But when he was following Lucy the last time through the middle of the
circle, he gave the signal for the whole party to loose hands and
follow him, and away they all went. But they could not get on for
laughing, for Lucy had as many pranks as Harlequin himself, so that
several of the children, and amongst these Miss Darwell herself, fairly
stood still to laugh.

This game lasted for some time. Then came "Puss in the Corner"; and
then, as Mrs. Colvin thought there had been strong exercise enough, the
evening being very hot, she made all the children sit down, and asked
who could tell a story.

"Lucy can," said Emily; and Lucy then, without hesitation, told the
story of "Edwy and the Echo," by the particular desire of Miss Darwell.

Lucy had one particularly pleasing quality, which arose in some degree
from the habit of quick obedience in which she had been brought up;
this was, that when, in company, desired by a proper person to do
anything she could to make herself agreeable, she immediately tried;
and when Mrs. Colvin had said, "If you can tell the story, Miss Lucy,
do favour us with it," she took her place, and did it as easily as if
Emily and Henry only had been by. Emily had the same wish to make
herself pleasant as Lucy had, but