'
heads away before they also saw it: but it was too late. "Yap! yap!
yap!" went little Grab; "Woof! woof!" added Grim, struggling to free
himself from the harness. Good old Gruff held out bravely for a moment
or two; but finally he could not resist.

A mighty "_Bow_, wow WOW!" a leap and a plunge, and then for a moment I
could see nothing but a cloud of dust, from which came barks and shrieks
which were truly dreadful to hear. In a moment, however, the cart
luckily was caught between two bushes, and there it stuck, while the
dogs rushed to the foot of the nearest apple-tree, to leap and howl
there in vain excitement, while the peaceful cat smiled at them in
safety from the topmost bough.

[Illustration]

At the moment the explosion took place, two people came upon the scene,
one from the barn and one from the house. They were Uncle Jack and Mrs.
Posset. The latter had happened to look out of the window just as the
grand turn-out came round for the third time, and she had flown down
stairs to rescue her Downy, but arrived only in time to snatch him from
the ruins of the cart, very much frightened and covered with dust, and
what was worse with blood, which flowed from a cut in his forehead. As
for Uncle Jack, he had been very busy in the barn arranging matters with
John and had supposed that Downy was quite safe with Nibble and Gruff to
look after him.

"If you please, sir," cried Mrs. Posset in an angry tone, "what is to be
done with Nibble? this blessed child's life is not safe with him for an
instant, so it isn't! putting three dogs tantrum (Mrs. Posset meant
tandem, but she was too much vexed to think about her words,) with an
innocent baby behind them and the garden as full of cats as his head is
of mischief!" and the good woman's breath fairly failed her, from haste
and vexation combined. Uncle Jack looked very grave as he came up.

"How did this happen, Nibble?" he asked. "Mrs. Posset, if you will take
Downy into the house and bathe his forehead, I will come in and find
some court-plaster to put on that cut. Now my boy," he added, turning to
Nibble, "tell me all about this!"

Nibble hung his head and looked very much ashamed.

"I--I did have them tandem," he said. "I never thought of cats, and
Downy likes to ride so much!"

"I am very sorry, Nibble!" said Uncle Jack, "I certainly thought I could
trust you to take care of your little brother for ten minutes. There are
plenty of ways of amusing a little ch