, Nicholls," said Dick. "Yes, I'll come. Don't tell anybody
else, Nicholls."

[Illustration]

"No, no, sir, we'll keep it a secret."

Lancey and Dick went to church together and were together as usual all
day. But strange to tell, not one word was said by either boy to the
other about their plans for the next morning. Some mischievous sprite
had put it into their heads, for almost the first time in their lives,
to have a secret, and not a kind secret either, each from the other.

"I'm the eldest," thought Lancey. "I think it's only fair I should get
the mushrooms for Mamma's birthday."

"Lancey's bigger and stronger than I am," thought Dick. "If he went with
me, he'd gather ever so many more, and Mamma wouldn't think it was me at
all that had got them."

Monday morning came. The boys slept in separate rooms at Auntie's. Each
had a tiny dressing-room with a sofa-bed, so it was easy to get up and
dress without "brother" knowing. Lancey was first, but it took him some
little time to find Griffith, and to ask him again where to go, which he
had partly forgotten. Dick was luckier, for Nicholls was waiting for
him, and took him by what he called a short cut, to the field he had
described, and helped him over the hedge, telling him the mushrooms grew
thickest "a bit up the field."

Up the field trotted Dick, but he had not gone far before he stopped
short in surprise. Who was that coming towards him from the other end?

And "who can that be?" thought the new-comer, as a small, stout figure
caught _his_ eye--a round, brown-holland little person, not unlike a
mushroom button on two legs. "I do believe," he said aloud, "I do
believe it's Dick."

"I do believe," said Dick. "I do believe it's Lancey."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, not quite sure what to say
or do. Then they thought better of it and burst out laughing.

"It's no good doing without each other," said both together.

The mushrooms were plentiful, and the gathering of them proved quite as
nice as Mamma had told them. And it was two very happy little boys who
carried up a splendid plateful with "many happy returns" to her door
that morning.

But when Mamma had kissed and thanked them, each looked at the other.

"Mamma," said both together, "we weren't going to have been quite good
about them," and then they told the whole. "But it was all right at the
end," they said, "and oh, Mamma, how do you like the mushrooms cooked?
Fried or with sau