n the click
of the gate made them look up, and behold! the joyful Louisa, displaying
Archie, who walked by her side.

"Here he is, ma'am," she cried. "I found him way off in the wood. He'd
run away."

"I didn't," said Archie, squirming out of his mother's arms. "I was
building houses. And you didn't find me a bit, Loo--isa. I found you,
and I showed you the way home!"

"Never mind who found who, so long as we have our little runaway back,"
said Mr. Gray, stooping to kiss Archie. "Another time we must have a
talk about boys who go to build houses without leave from their Mamma's
and Papa's, and make everybody anxious. Meantime, I fancy somebody I
know about is half-starved. Tell Marianne to send some dinner in at
once, Louisa."

"Yes, sir, I will." And Louisa hastened off to triumph over her friend
Marianne.

"Archie, darling, how could you go away and frighten us so?" asked Mrs.
Gray, taking him in her lap.

"Why, Mamma, were you frightened?" replied Archie wonderingly. "I was
building a house. It's a _beau_-tiful house. I'll let you come and sit
in it if you want to. And I've got a hen, and I'll give you all the eggs
she lays, to cook, you know. Only the hen's runned away, and I couldn't
find my house any more, and the hammer tumbled down, and I lost my
shoe. I know where the hammer is, I dess, and to-morrow I'll go back and
get it."--Here the expression of Archie's face changed. Louisa had
appeared at the door with a plate of something which smelt excessively
nice, and sent a little curl of steam into the air. She beckoned. He
jumped down from Mamma's lap, ran to the door, and both disappeared.
Nothing more was heard of him except his feet on the stairs, and by and
by the sound of Louisa's rocking-chair, as she sat beside his bed
singing Archie to sleep. Mamma and Papa went in together a little later
and stood over their boy.

"Oh, the comfort of seeing him safe in his little bed to-night!" said
Mrs. Gray.

Roused by her voice, Archie stirred. "I _dess_ I know where the hammer
is," he said drowsily. Then his half-opened eyes closed, and he was
sound asleep.

[Illustration]

RIDE A COCK-HORSE.

IT was a drizzly day in the old market-town of Banbury. The clouds hung
low: all the world was wrapped in sulky mist. When the sun tried to
shine out, as once or twice he did, his face looked like a dull yellow
spot against the sky, and the clouds hurried up at once and extinguished
him. Children tapped