xceedingly sad and sorry when they suffered punishment
from Mrs. Crabtree. He was ready to do anything in the world when it
pleased the children, and would have carried a message to the moon, if
they had only shown him the way. Many odd jobs and private messages he
had already been employed in by Harry, who now called Andrew up stairs,
entreating him to carry out all those absurd notes as fast as possible,
and to deliver them immediately, as they were of the greatest
consequence. Upon hearing this, old Andrew lost not a moment, but threw
on his hat, and instantly started off, looking like the twopenny
postman, he carried such a prodigious parcel of invitations, while Harry
and Laura stood at the drawing-room window, almost screaming with joy
when they saw him set out, and when they observed that, to oblige them,
he actually ran along the street at a sort of trot, which was as fast as
he could possibly go. Presently, however, he certainly did stop for a
single minute, and Laura saw that it was in order to take a peep into
one of the notes, that he might ascertain what they were all about; but
as he never carried any letters without doing so, she thought that quite
natural, and was only very glad when he had finished, and rapidly
pursued his way again.

Next morning, Mrs. Crabtree and Betty became very much surprised to
observe what a number of smart livery servants knocked at the street
door, and gave in cards, but their astonishment became still greater,
when old Andrew brought up a whole parcel of them to Harry and Laura,
who immediately broke the seals, and read the contents in a corner
together.

"What are you about there, Master Graham?" cried Mrs. Crabtree, angrily,
"how dare any body venture to touch your grandmama's letters?"

"They are not for grandmama!--they are all for us!--every one of them!"
answered Harry, dancing about the room with joy, and waving the notes
over his head. "Look at this direction! For Master and Miss Graham! put
on your spectacles, and read it yourself, Mrs. Crabtree! What delightful
fun! the house will be as full as an egg!"

Mrs. Crabtree seemed completely puzzled what to think of all this, and
looked so much as if she did not know exactly what to be angry at, and
so ready to be in a passion if possible, that Harry burst out a
laughing, while he said, "Only think Mrs. Crabtree! here is every body
coming to tea with us!--all my cousins, besides Peter Grey, Robert
Stewart, Charles For