happy. At any other time, Horace, George, and Sam would have laughed very much at the trouble the donkeys gave. As soon as they found they were to be saddled, they swelled themselves out as big as two donkeys; so that the boys could hardly make the girths meet round their middles. They had to unswell though, for Horace went and tightened them all up, a few minutes afterwards, when they were not thinking about it. Horace called to Bob and Tom Jackson, who were sitting on the grass a little way off, to put the horse into the shafts.

Bob or Tom come
He kept twisting

But the horse would not let near his head by any means. round, and keeping his heels always near to the bad boys, and they were too wide awake to trust themselves too near his heels again.

'Why, what has come to him?' said Mrs. Lawley. He is always so quiet. Horace, see if you can catch him, my dear.'

Horace took the headpiece and went up to the horse. He stood quite quiet, and still keeping his eye fixed upon Bob and Tom. He let Horace put

the bit in his mouth, and lead him towards the waggon.

'How very odd!' said Mrs. Lawley. What can that be for ?'

I fancy he knows more than we do, mamma. He is a clever horse,' said Horace, looking at Bob and Tom, who, seeing him look, put out their tongues at him.

I should not like it, if I were a boy, to have all animals hate me, and be afraid of me, as they were of Bob and Tom. I once heard a gentleman tell some little children to try and never pass a day without doing a kind action, if only to a little dog or a little cat; but I think these two boys did quite otherwise, for they never passed a day without doing something unkind.

Polly, the parrot, was found quite safe in the waggon. She had been fast asleep. Everybody had forgotten her until she woke up and spoke for herself, and asked, 'What's o'clock ?'

Why, it is very late, Polly,' said Horace sadly, 'and we ought to have been home long before this; and I for one wish we had never come to this pic-nic at all, sooner than this should have happened to poor little Toby.'

OCTOR GROVES jumped off his horse and told Horace to lead him about,

and ran to the place where little Frank lay. As soon as the Doctor moved him to find where he was hurt the child fainted, and then it was found that there was, as Mr. Lawley said, 'Something more the matter than the broken leg.'

Poor Harry's eyes were fixed upon the Doctor's face as he examined, that is, looked carefully at, his little brother. Doctor Groves set the little boy's leg, and then he carried him to the waggon. Mr. Lawley walked with Doctor Groves, and Harry heard the Doctor say something to him, and he caught the words 'the spine injured.'

The spine means what we call the backbone, which goes from the neck all the way down.

G

Harry knew what the spine meant, and he felt very frightened, and the tears poured down his face, because he was so sorry for his brother.

When the Doctor and Mr. Lawley had laid poor little Toby in the waggon on a bed of railway rugs which Mrs. Lawley had placed ready for him, Doctor Groves put his arm round Harry's shoulders, and said,—

Harry, my boy, you must try to be a little man. I know you always can when you try. I don't blame you, my dear, for crying about Toby, for I know you love him; but we want you to help us now.'

I'll do anything, sir,' said Harry. 'I am not going to cry when I can do anything to be of use. What can I do?'

'That's right, my boy. I want you to lead the horse home very quietly, so as not to jolt your little brother.'

It was very wise of Doctor Groves to give Harry something to do: it was the best way of making him dry his tears, you see.

Doctor Groves was obliged to go because of all those people who were waiting for him; so when Toby was fairly off he got on his horse, and soon passed them on the road.

Mrs. Lawley sat in the waggon by Toby. The

rest, that is, Mr. Lawley, Mrs. Dale, and the children, went home sadly, some on the donkeys and some on foot, while Mr. Dale rode to Harry's grandmamma's house to tell her what had happened.

How do you think Bob and Tom Jackson must have felt all this while? Nobody noticed that in coming home they slunk behind every one else. They did not wish to be seen by anybody, nor to be spoken to.

Now, while Mr. Lawley was alone with Harry watching Toby and waiting for the Doctor, he asked him how all this mischief had happened, and why he had found him fighting Bob Jackson; and Harry had told him all the truth; so you see Mr. Lawley knew who had done it.

I do not think for a moment that either Bob or Tom meant to do such a dreadful and wicked thing as to break poor little Frank Walton's leg; but they were cruel and mischievous boys, and when boys go on in the way they did, they cannot tell what harm they may do. Now it was too late to be sorry they had not stopped when little Toby begged of them to stop; too late for Toby, for they could not mend his leg, although it is never too late to be sorry that we have done wrong, and to ask God to forgive us.