dn't you stand on a chair,
and let me jump off another chair through the hoop?"

Trot looked doubtful--"Nurse doesn't like us to stand on the chairs,"
she said.

She fetched her big wooden hoop and held it up.

"Higher!" shouted Toddles, getting ready to make a spring.

Trot raised the hoop and Toddles jumped; then somehow Toddles and the
hoop got mixed up together, and Toddles fell down on the ground.

"Oh dear!" said Trot. "I am sorry; we must try again."

Toddles picked himself up, and rubbed his elbows.

"Don't you think it will look stupid to jump through hoops when we can't
ride on horses?" he said. "Of course if we had horses it would be easy
enough. I think we had better leave that part out."

[Illustration: "'LET US TRY WALKING THE ROPE.'"]

"Perhaps we had," said Trot; and she slowly drew her pencil through
"JUMPING THREW HOOPS."

"We can both balance things," said Toddles, "I know;" and he jumped up
quickly and ran across the room. "I will lie on my back, and put the
footstool on my feet--"

"And throw it up in the air, and catch it," cried Trot. "Like the man
with the tub the other day. That will be fine!--What shall I do?"

"Walk about with that pot on your head," suggested Toddles.

"That old thing," said Trot; "that will be very easy."

Toddles lay down on his back, and stuck the footstool on his feet, and
Trot put the jar upon her head.

"It is quite easy," said Toddles, "and I am sure the party will like
it."

"Quite easy," said Trot.

There was a sound of something falling, a cry, a little scream, and a
smash.

"Oh!" cried Toddles.

"E--ee--eh!" cried Trot.

[Illustration: "THERE WAS A VERY LOUD SCREAM THIS TIME."]

"It came right on my nose," said Toddles. "I believe it's broken."

"I'm sure my toe is," said Trot.

There was no doubt at all about the pot, it was very much broken.

"Hush!" said Trot, "there's nurse!"

Toddles stopped in the middle of a scream, and the two children crept on
their hands and knees to the door, and listened eagerly--but it was a
false alarm.

"Let us try walking the rope," said Trot.

"I suppose you will do that," said Toddles, rubbing his nose; "though we
haven't any rope."

"Then we must find something else," said Trot cheerfully, determined not
to be beaten. "I think a walking-stick would do beautifully to practise
on, and we'll get nurse to give us a rope to-morrow."

"It looked very easy the other day," said Toddles, as Trot began