hall grow dry with the fatigue of climbing."

The boys and girls immediately scattered themselves all over the hill,
getting on the best way they could, and trying who could scramble up
fastest, but the grass was quite short, and as slippery as ice,
therefore it became every moment more difficult to stand, and still more
difficult to climb. The whole party began sliding whether they liked it
or not, and staggered and tried to grasp the turf, but there was nothing
to hold, while occasionally a shower of stones and gravel came down from
Peter, who pretended they fell by accident.

"Oh, Harry!" cried Laura, panting for breath, while she looked both
frightened and fatigued, "If this were not a party of pleasure, I think
we are sometimes quite as happy in our own gardens! People must be very
miserable at home, before they come here to be amused! I wish we were
cats, or goats, or any thing that can stand upon a hill without feeling
giddy."

"I think this is very good fun!" answered Harry, gasping and trying not
to tumble for the twentieth time; "you would like perhaps to be back in
the nursery with Mrs. Crabtree."

"No! no! I am not quite so bad as that! But Harry! do you ever really
expect to reach the top? for I never shall; so I mean to sit down
quietly here, and wait till you all return."

"I have a better plan than that, Laura! you shall sit upon the highest
point of Arthur's Seat as well as anybody, before either of us is an
hour older! Let me go first, because I get on famously, and you must
never look behind, but keep tight hold of my jacket, so then every step
I advance will pull you up also."

Laura was delighted with this plan, which succeeded perfectly well, but
they ascended rather slowly, as it was exceedingly fatiguing to Harry,
who looked quite happy all the time to be of use, for he always felt
glad when he could do any thing for anybody, more particularly for
either Laura or Frank. Now, the whole party was at last safely assembled
on the very highest point of Arthur's Seat, so the boys threw their caps
up in the air, and gave three tremendous cheers, which frightened the
very crows over their heads, and sent a flock of sheep scampering down
the mountain side. After that, they planted Mr. Harwood's walking-stick
in the ground, for a staff, while Harry tore off the blue silk
handkerchief which Mrs. Crabtree had tied about his neck, and without
caring whether he caught cold or not, he fastened it on the p