down under cover of this curl in the
blanket.--All right, Helen! down directly!"

The sun was shining brightly, the fine weather seemed to have come at
last, and the question was how to put it to the best possible use.

"Why don't you children go and picnic somewhere?" said Queen Mab. "You
can have Prince and the carriage, and drive off where you like, and
have tea out of doors."

A general meeting was held in the hayloft directly after dinner for the
purpose of discussing this important question. Jack won a still higher
place in Barbara's affections by hauling himself up the perpendicular
ladder without touching the rungs with his feet; and though knowing
little or nothing about such things as picnics, he was ready with any
number of absurd suggestions.

"Let's go to Pitsbury Common," said Barbara; "there's such a lot of
jolly sandpits to roll about in, and we can burn gorse-bushes."

"Oh, no, don't let's go there!" answered Helen; "there's no place to
shelter in if it comes on rain, and when you're having tea the sand
blows about and gets into everything, so that you seem to be eating it
by mouthfuls."

"It's so nice having it out of doors," persisted Barbara.

"Well, let's go out in the road and sit with our feet in the ditch,
like the tramps do," said Jack. "I'll bring the tea in my sponge bag.
Rosher used to carry it about in his pocket, full of water for a little
squirt he was always firing off in the French class. Pilson had the
sentence, 'Give me something to drink;' and as soon as he'd said it, he
got a squirtful all over the back of his head, and Durand--"

"Oh, stop that!" said Valentine, laughing. "Look here! I vote we
drive over to Grenford, and call on the Fosbertons, and ask them to
lend us their boat; they'd give us lunch, and then we could take our
tea with us up the river. It's not more than six miles."

"Don't let's go there," said Barbara. "I hate them."

"Is Raymond away?" asked Helen.

"Yes; didn't you hear Queen Mab say he was going to spend his holidays
in London? Uncle James is rather a pompous old fellow, but we shan't
have to go there except for lunch; and father said we ought to call on
them while we're here; besides, it'll be jolly on the river. You know
them, don't you, Jack?"

"Well, I've _heard_ about them," answered the other. "I know that the
guv'nor's sister married old Fosberton, and that he got a lot of money
making tin tacks, or whatever it was; and now he f