that made him lie down and brought the tears into his eyes, as
much from vexation as pain. Then the sun would shine so hotly, and the
flies tease, and the nasty cows had been all over the place where they
generally played; so at last the game of cricket came to a stand-still
till dinner-time; when, having left their bats and stumps in the field,
they went in to the mid-day meal.

After dinner, they returned to the cricket-ground, but matters were
worse than ever: the flies seemed to be savage to think that the boys
had been having a hearty meal while they had been fasting, so they set
to work to see if they could not take it out of them, and began by
attacking Fred, then Harry, then Philip; till at last, what with the
heat, the idle feeling, and the teasing of the flies, the boys gave up
playing in despair, and stood lounging under the great cedar, cross,
tired, and ill-tempered.

"I should like to go to bed," said Fred.

"There's an idle-back," said Harry; "I shouldn't I should like to take
my clothes off, and lie down under a fountain, and let all the nice cool
water trickle and splash all over me. Poof! ain't it hot?"

"I know what I should like to do," said Philip; "I should like to sit
right up there on the top of the cedar, and rock--rock, rock--rock,
backwards and forwards--looking up at the blue sky, and thinking I was a
soft, downy bird."

"Ho! ho! ho!" said Harry. "He'd look like an old cock jackdaw when he's
moulting. Ha! ha! ha! what an old stupid!"

"I don't care," said Philip; "I know it would be nice; wouldn't it,
Fred?"

"Well, but you couldn't sit there; the boughs would break, and you'd
come down," said Fred. "But what makes all that thick bunch of hay and
rags up there? Why, it's a nest, isn't it?"

"So it is," said Harry; "why, I never saw that before. Let's get up and
get it. There's sure to be eggs."

"I shan't," said Phil; "it's too hot."

"What a lazy old chap you are, Phil," said his brother. "It's a
tree-sparrow's nest, and we haven't got a single egg. I mean to go."

Saying which Master Harry stripped off his blouse, threw down his cap,
and commenced operations.

"Don't go, you'll fall," said Fred; "it's ever so high up, and the
boughs won't bear you."

"Pooh!" said Harry, "I can do it;" and running along under the great
branches that stretched away, drooping towards the ground, he gave a
spring, and caught a bough, turned up his heels, and so made his way,
hanging h