been constantly
occupied in trying to find Willie and Alice, for, as there were so many
children scattered over the field, they had continually escaped her
searching eye. Once she had ruthlessly torn Alice away as she was
standing between two rosy-cheeked, delighted village urchins, playing
"drop the handkerchief." Each of her little fair hands was clasped by
the strong brown fingers of a small village neighbour, and Alice
vigorously resented being thus carried off.

"The idea of her playing with them," murmured Mrs. Barlow contemptuously
as she carried her off.

Not long afterwards a shout of triumph attracted her attention to
another part of the field, where she was certain "Master Willie" would
be found. "If there's mischief going on," she said, "he's sure to be in
it;" and when she reached the spot, there he was sure enough, in his
best clothes trying to climb the well-greased pole. As may be supposed
his intentions of reaching the top, and securing the prize, were quickly
nipped in the bud, and he was obliged to make a more sudden descent than
he had counted upon.

Notwithstanding these slight interruptions, everything went off most
satisfactorily, and all were sorry enough when the time arrived to say
good-bye.

The children assembled in front of the old house, and sang a short
hymn--

"We are but little children weak;"

and then they were marched off to their different homes, and Willie went
to bed, his thoughts full of the happy day they had had, and the words
of the children's hymn still sounding in his ears.

The Blackbird had thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. There had been no
drawbacks. Although he had not been one of the invited guests, he felt
somehow that he had been welcome, and he was very pleased to have seen
so much of his two young friends, and to have left them so happy.

At this summer-time, it was a great pleasure to the Blackbird during
the afternoon to perch on the limb of an old fir-tree on the lawn, and
watch the squirrels at their gambols. They would play long, long
games of hide and seek among the dark branches, and then, tired of
that, they would chase each other from bough to bough, scattering the
pine-cones, which dropped with a soft sound on the grass below.
Little wagtails ran nimbly about the lawn uttering their shrill
"quit, quit," and catching as they ran the gnats and other insects. The
small dark heads of the swallows could be seen as they crouched and
twittered ben