ecause we live on beef; while
we are equally amazed at the Chinese for devouring dog pies, and
birds'-nest soup. You turn up your nose at the French for liking frogs;
and they think us ten times worse with our singed sheep's head, oat
cakes, and haggis."

"That reminds me," said Lady Harriet, "that when Charles X. lived in
what he called the 'dear Canongate,' His Majesty was heard to say, that
he tried every sort of Scotch goose, 'the solan goose, the wild goose,
and the tame goose; but the best goose of all, was the hag-goose.'"

"Very polite, indeed, to adopt our national taste so completely,"
observed uncle David, smiling. "When my regiment was quartered in Spain,
an officer of ours, a great epicure, and not quite so complaisant, used
to say that the country was scarcely fit to live in, because there it is
customary to dress almost every dish with sugar. At last, one day, in a
rage, he ordered eggs to be brought up in their shells for dinner,
saying, 'that is the only thing the cook cannot possibly spoil.' We
played him a trick, however, which was very like what you would have
done, Harry, on a similar occasion. I secretly put pounded sugar into
the salt-cellar, and when he tasted his first mouthful, you should have
seen the look of fury with which he sprung off his seat, exclaiming,
'the barbarians eat sugar even with their eggs!'"

"That would be the country for me to travel in," said Harry. "I could
live in a barrel of sugar; and my little pony, Tom Thumb, would be happy
to accompany me there, as he likes anything sweet."

"All animals are of the same opinion. I remember the famous rider,
Ducrow, telling a brother-officer of mine, that the way in which he
gains so much influence over his horses, is merely by bribing them with
sugar. They may be managed in that way like children, and are quite
aware, if it be taken from them as a punishment for being restive."

"Oh! those beautiful horses at Ducrow's! How often I think of them since
we were there!" exclaimed Harry. "They were quite like fairies, with
fine arched necks, and long tails!"

"I never heard before of a fairy with a long tail, Master Harry; but
perhaps in the course of your travels you may have seen such a thing."

"How I should like to ride upon Tom Thumb, in Ducrow's way, with my toe
on the saddle!"

"Fine doings indeed!" exclaimed Mrs. Crabtree, who had entered the room
at this moment. "Have you forgotten already, Master Harry, how many of
the