ilvery sounding bells, and fringe, and tufts of
red worsted, which made the whole turn-out look very gay. It gained
universal admiration, and two ladies were easily persuaded by John
Bracebridge to get into it, and to be driven round and round the pond.

"You may fancy yourselves transported suddenly to Canada, and whisking
away over the Saint Lawrence," he observed, turning round as he drove
on; "only I assure you that so smooth a piece of ice as this is rarely
found to drive over. In Lower Canada especially, the sleighs are driven
on the roads over the snow; but the old-fashioned French Canadian
sleigh, used by all the country people, is so low that the front part
sweeps the snow before it, and thus ridges are quickly formed all across
the road. Another sleigh following has to surmount the ridges, and of
necessity digs down on the opposite side, and scoops out more of the
snow. Sometimes, also, they slide off either on one side or the other,
and thus a succession of hills or waves, as it were, are made with
slides, which send the sleighs nearly off the road on one side or the
other, and make the driving away from the larger cities very far from
pleasant. About Quebec, however, the roads are kept in good order, and
sleighing is there a very agreeable amusement."

As young Hotspur could not go trotting round and round the pond all day,
John at last drove him home, and then Frank proposed a game of hockey on
the ice. He had provided a supply of sticks and a ball, and the
proposal was welcomed with applause. The people present were not long
in forming sides. Charles undertook to lead one side, Frank the other.
Frank got his stout friend to be on his side, but he generally chose
boys. He got Ernest and all his schoolfellows, except Lemon, who joined
Charles, and there were several other boys who skated pretty well, and,
as he said, looked plucky. A person must know how to balance himself
well to play hockey on skates, otherwise, after having struck the ball,
he is very likely to allow his stick to swing round, and to bring him
over. There were twenty people on a side, big and little; but the
shorter ones had decidedly the advantage, and ran away with the ball
whenever they got up to it, driving it before them before any of the
opposite party could overtake them. Ernest gave his brother some useful
hints, from which he profited. The same tactics which Ernest had often
employed at school Frank brought into play.