knew little or
nothing of his sister-in-law's fears, and would, perhaps, have taken
Fred's side of the question if he had, did exactly as she intended,
declared them perfectly welcome to the use of Dumple, and sent Willy
into the house for the driving whip. Thus authorized, Beatrice did
not fear even her father, who was not likely to allow in words what a
nonentity the authority of Uncle Roger might really be esteemed.

Willy came back with a shilling in his hand, and an entreaty that he
might go with Queen Bee and Fred to buy a cannon for the little ships,
of which Roger's return always produced a whole fleet at Sutton Leigh.
His cousins were in a triumphant temper of good nature, and willingly
consenting, he was perched between them, but for one moment Beatrice's
complacency was diminished as Uncle Roger called out, "Ha! Fred take
care! What are you doing?--you'll be against the gate-post--don't bring
his head so short round. If you don't take more care, you'll certainly
come to a smash before you get home."

If honour and credit had not been concerned, both Beatrice and Frederick
would probably have been much better satisfied to have given up their
bold design after this debut, but they were far too much bent on their
own way to yield, and Fred's pride would never have allowed him to
acknowledge that he felt himself unequal to the task he had so rashly
undertaken. Uncle Roger, believing it to be only carelessness instead of
ignorance, and too much used to dangerous undertakings of his own boys
to have many anxieties on their account, let them go on without further
question, and turned off to visit his young wheat without the smallest
uneasiness respecting the smash he had predicted, as he had done, by way
of warning, at least twenty times before.

Busy Bee was in that stage of girlhood which is very sensible on some
points, in the midst of great folly upon others, and she was quite wise
enough to let Fred alone, to give full attention to his driving all the
way to Allonfield. Dumple knew perfectly well what was required of him,
and went on at a very steady well-behaved pace, up the hill, across the
common, and into the town, where, leaving him at the inn, they walked
into the street, and Beatrice, after an infinity of searching, succeeded
in obtaining certain grey cotton velvet, which, though Fred asserted
that donkeys had a tinge of lilac, was certainly not unfit to represent
their colour. As Fred's finances were