"For shame, Agatha, for shame, Charles," cried their mamma and Miss Montague, in the same breath; "if you cannot invent a more refined way of diverting yourselves you must return to your lessons.'

"There is something original about these children even in their play," said Sir Harry, laughing; while Miss Adeliza Curzon retreated to a corner of the room that she might not be obliged to witness such ungenteel behaviour.

"We will not play here at all," said John to his sister in a whisper; "she'll do nothing but scold us. Let us go into the fields."

They walked quietly to the gate, and had just succeeded in making their exit, when a new enemy appeared in the shape of Mrs. Rachael, who called loudly to them to come back.

"What do you mean, Miss Agatha," cried she, "by tearing about without your bonnet, to make yourself as brown as any gipsy?"

"I'll fetch my bonnet directly," said Nancy; "so please don't be angry. Miss Montague told us we might go."

Mrs. Rachael upon this relaxed her hold, and after delivering a long lecture to the children, who were all impatience to be gone, she suffered them to depart without further molestation.

"And now we are free at last," said John, as they ran out into the green lane that led to the village.

"I wonder we were so foolish as to envy the children at the hall," said Nancy; "only think what a life they have of it."

"Every body seems to scold from morning till night,". returned John. "I never knew any body so cross as that Madam Falkland."

"Except Mrs. Rachael," said Nancy, with a sigh.

But the conversation was here interrupted by the merry sound of voices; and John and Nancy saw before them a

group of children carrying a May-pole, prettily ornamented with bows of ribbon and garlands of flowers. The rustics were clad in their Sunday best, and their rosy faces shone with delight. They turned into a field leading to a farmhouse, a short distance from the road, and John and Nancy followed, all eagerness to join the sport.

When the little villagers reached the garden in front of the house, an arch-looking lad drew forth his fiddle and began to play with all his might, the rest dancing gaily round the May-pole. The farmer's wife came out to see what was going on; but as soon as she perceived Nancy and John, she dropped a curtsey, and invited them to walk in, and view the dancing through her parlour window.

"And perhaps the young master would like to look round the farm-yard bye and bye," said she, as she carefully dusted the chairs for the gentlefolks to sit down.

"Yes, that I should, above all things," cried John; "but can't I go directly?"

"I had rather stay here, and look at the May-pole,” said Nancy, who was inwardly longing to join her old play-mates.

Once arrived in the farm-yard, John was supremely happy. All his troubles were forgotten, and even the rules of syntax faded from his mind. He ran in and out of the sheds, stroked the cows, patted the horses, climbed the haystack, and insisted on taking a turn with the threshers in the barn. The time passed very quickly; and as he was thus amusing himself, he espied the farmer's boy, mounted on a cart-horse, without saddle or bridle, preparing to drive the cows to pasture. John was instantly seized with a strong desire to assist; and made known his wish in a very peremptory manner.

"Let me go along with you," said he to the lad; "there's nothing I love like driving cows.'

The lad stared, and thought the young 'squire was slightly deranged.

"I think you'd better not, sir," said he; "the missis would be so angry if she knew it.”

"I've done it times enough before now," said John, "so hold your tongue, and just help me up. Don't you see I'm a young gentleman, and ought not to be contradicted?"

The boy, a raw country lad, had been recently taken into the farmer's service, and supposing Master Charles to be a spoilt child, whom it would be dangerous to thwart, he ventured no further remonstrance. John, delighted to gain his point so easily, took off his smart jacket lest he should damage it; and his companion having helped him to mount, the well-matched pair, with many noisy vociferations, drove the cows out of the yard.

John felt perfectly at home in the society of his new friend the ploughboy, and they jogged along conversing with the utmost familiarity.

But this delightful intercourse was doomed to a speedy interruption, for a turn in the lane brought them in sight of an elegant carriage and pair, which was coming directly towards them. Now, by an unlucky chance, who should this carriage contain but Mrs. Falkland, Miss Adeliza Curzon, and Sir Harry Bartram, who had chosen that identical road for their morning drive.

Miss Adeliza Curzon reclined in a languid attitude, her cambric handkerchief and her smelling bottle in her lap. Suddenly the delicate fringed parasol that protected her complexion from the sun was dropped, and she raised her glass to her eye with a quickness that was almost incredible. "Dear me," said she, "how very extraordinary-but no-it cannot be;" and she threw herself back and applied her smelling bottle, as though overpowered by her exertion. Sir Harry stood up in the carriage, and looked in the direction of the young lady's glass.

"Is it those two little urchins yonder, perched on the back of the cart-horse, that attracted so much of your attention?" he asked.