e 'lady' at your school,"
said Charles, "but I know what they would call you at ours."

[Illustration: THE SCHOOLROOM]

"What's that, pray?" replied Herbert, coming up close to his cousin with a
scowl on his face and his hand clenched behind his back.

Charles was not in the least afraid of Herbert's threatening appearance,
but answered stoutly,--"They would call you 'cheat;' and of the two names
I'd prefer 'lady.'"

Herbert was neither restrained by the fact that his cousin was a guest in
the house nor by the difference in their age, a double reason for treating
him with forbearance.

Before Caroline had time to prevent him, Herbert had struck Charles a
severe blow on the head, which knocked him down; and as he lay for some
minutes almost senseless, the girls thought he was going to die, and
screamed out for help.

Fortunately, nurse was passing the schoolroom door at the time, and
hearing the noise, came in. Charles's face and head having been bathed, he
soon recovered; and as Herbert seemed to have got a terrible fright, and
to be truly sorry for his conduct, Charles was quite willing to forgive
him, and to shake hands in token of friendship. During the remainder of
their visit Herbert was very attentive to his cousins; and if any game was
proposed by them, whether he thought it babyish or not, he never raised
the least objection, but joined quite heartily in it.

Yet he had not given up his bad habits altogether; for he still went on
with his teasing ways to his sister Caroline, both before his cousins'
face and behind their back, till she began to think that, after all, as
nurse had said, she would be glad when his holidays came to an end.

A few mornings after this, the children set out to fish in the river, and
while walking round by the common they came upon a donkey standing all
alone, without a bridle or even a rope on it. It was close to a large
juicy thistle, but it did not seem to be eating it, and every minute or
two it shook and trembled.

[Illustration: THE DONKEY.]

Lizzie was the first to notice it, and going closer, exclaimed, "I am
afraid the poor beast must be ill."

"Tuts, what nonsense!" said Herbert; "donkeys are never ill. Don't you
know they live for ever, Cousin Lizzie?"

"Well, I don't know about that," said Charles, going close up to the
donkey and looking into its face; "all I can say is, if this poor beast
isn't ill it looks very like it."

"It's nothing but a stubborn fit,