Part 36 (1/1)

Laddie, after looking puzzled for aand leaped up three times and turned round in the air; then ran to Neil and ju to lick his face An indescribable tuned, and Neil extricated himself with difficulty

'Excuseand tellinga detaining hand upon the lad's shoulder; 'not so suddenly, if you please; I will go with you and prepare her,' and the two left the house together

'But Mrs Macdonnell, Mu lip, 'do you--do you think she'll die?'

'Not she,' said the laird, co forward; 'happiness has never killed any one yet, and a little of that is what Mrs Macdonnell anting

But where is the hero of the day; the one who found out what no one else has been able to discover! We have not congratulated him yet'

'We do, we do,' they all cried; and they laid forcible hands upon Haround with a very red face, carried him out of doors and chaired him triumphantly round the courtyard

'But _Haht with astonishment; 'to think that after all it was Haruffly

'Why, he's such a quiet fellow, one never thinks of his doing anything

If it had been you or h Marjorie's far too conceited for a girl); but Haht sohtning

'Ever heard the fable of the Hare and the Tortoise?' she queried 'If not you'll find it in the Third Reading Book Perhaps you're not as far as that yet though'

Still Harry found theseveral days, he was frequently to be observed sitting on dykes and conte Hamish, who shared the honours of the time with Neil

'Only a few days now,' observed Tricksy regretfully, 'and there will be an end of all the fun Every one's going to school exceptat pirates any more'

'What about next year, Tricksy?' said Marjorie

'Next year! Why, you'll be grown-up by then Your mother said you must be sent to school to learn to be less of a tomboy'

'I won't be less of a to to fish, and climb rocks and ride ponies bare-backed, and do all those kinds of things until I'm ever so old We'll have better fun than ever, noe have Neil back again I vote we make a Compact----'

'We've made one already,' interposed Tricksy

'Well, a new one then We'll call it a League;--the Adventure League--and we'll promise to come back every year Harry and Gerald too, and we'll have the Pirates' Den for our house; and we'll never bother about being grown-up until we're too old to get any fun out of being toreed,' said the others 'Neil, you shall be Captain of our League'