t the clever clown was only
Bill all the time, the twins enjoyed their drive home, for Bill told
them many wonderful tales of his life in the ring, and of the animals
which he had trained.

Soon they came to the village, which looked so strange and quiet by the
early morning light, with the cottage-doors all shut, and the windows
closed and the blinds drawn. Humpty jumped down to open the gate leading
up the drive, and there on the doorstep were mummie and daddy, looking
so white and ill, who had come out of the house at the sound of the
wheels on the gravel to greet them.

[Sidenote: Home Again]

The twins were hurried indoors and taken up to the nursery, and Nan
cried when she saw them and forgot to scold. From the window they
watched mum and daddy thanking Bill, and giving him some money, and they
waved "goodbye" to him, and he flourished his whip in return, gave
another tug at the reins, and the old piebald pony cantered bravely down
the drive, and they saw them no more.

The twins were not allowed to see their mother, for Nan said that she
was feeling ill with a dreadful headache, and it was all on account of
their "goings-on"; and after Nan had stopped crying, she began to scold,
and was very cross all day.

That evening when the twins were in bed mummie came to tuck them up. But
instead of saying "Good-night," and then going out as she generally did,
she stayed for a long, long time and talked.

She told them that it was very wrong to have disobeyed nurse, who had
told them to stay in the seats and not to go away.

"But," cried Humpty, "we had to try to rescue Poor Jane's brother!"

"Poor Jane's brother!" repeated mummie, looking puzzled. And then the
twins explained.

Mummie sat silent for a long time.

"Remember, children," she said at last, "never do evil that good may
come--I can't expect you to understand that--but I can tell you a little
story."

"A story!" cried the twins. "Hooray!"

"Once upon a time a town was besieged. It was night, and only the
sentinels on the walls were left on guard, and told to give the alarm by
clanging a large bell, should the enemy force an attack. There was one
sentinel who had never done this work before, and he was given the least
important tower to guard. During the night a loud bell clanged out, and
a soldier came running along the wall to speak to the new sentinel. 'Do
come,' he said, 'we want as many helpers as we can get at once, and
there will be plenty