﻿MY VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 265 



must not tell if they did know. I soon made out what it was, 

 although it was new to me, and, I thought, a capital one. I said 

 nothing, but watched the rest of the company. Charles looked very 

 anxious to disclose the desired word to a sweet little girl sitting near 

 him. " May I tell ?" said I to Lucy. " Oh ! yes sir," she replied. 

 Then, calling to my side the little fairy, to whose petitions Charles 

 was about yielding, I asked her to read what was on a card which I 

 took out of my pocket. She took the card, and all were still while 



she read 



Admit the Bearer. 



" Now, Mr. Forrester," said several of the children, " do you pro- 

 pose something." 



" Well," said I, " let Charles mount that three-legged stool. Now 

 if some one will bring me a feather, I will show you what I will do." 

 Lucy flew to the house, and soon returned with a fine soft one. 



" What do you guess he is going to do to Charley with that 

 feather?" asked one little girl of her next neighbor. " Oh ! I don't 

 know," she replied, " without it is to tickle him." 



I called the bright-eyed little girl who read the charade, and whis- 

 pered a few words in her ear, when she took the feather and said, 

 " Master Charles, Mr. Forrester says I must bring you down on a 

 feather." All eyes were turned upon her, to see how she could do 

 a thing so utterly impossible. She looked very roguishly, and 

 walked up to Charles and said, " You see, here 's some beautiful 

 down which I have brought you on a feather ! ' 



What a shout went up through the arbor ! There were a few 

 birds, stealing grapes, which flew away as if they had been shot at ! 

 When the laughter had somewhat subsided, I was besieged again, 

 with, " Mr. Forrester, do tell us another." 



So I told William he might get up on the old stool this time. 

 " William," said I, " I am going to command you to come down. 

 You need not obey if you can help it, but you will get off that stool 

 before I ask you three times." William looked as immovable as the 

 statue of Washington in the State House. Looking very sternly 

 at him, I said, " Come down." He never moved. " Come down" 

 Twice I had said the words in vain. " Well, William," said I, 

 " you will come down before I ask you the third time, for I don't 

 think of doing it before Thanksgiving." 



