"You are an ill-natured thing," exclaimed Norman, petulantly. "You will never do what I want." Fanny smiled, though she felt inclined to be vexed at this false accusation. "We must at all events put the things up now," she said, "for mamma has sent me to tell you to come and get ready." "I will not get ready, I do not want to go to the picnic," said Norman. "But you must come," said Fanny taking hold of his arm, "mamma wishes it." Norman resisted, and, intending to seize the table, caught the dish instead, and pulled it to the ground, splashing himself over and breaking the dish. "Oh what have you done?" cried Fanny. "It was all your fault," said Norman. "If you had let me alone it would not have happened." Fanny did feel very angry with him. What she might have done, it is difficult to say, had not Mrs Maclean entered the room. "I can understand how it happened, and whose fault it was," she observed. "Do not mind the broken dish, dear Fanny, I will send for the servant to take it away, and do you, young gentleman, go and get ready to accompany your mamma." Norman, who on seeing Mrs Maclean enter, fully expected to be punished, thought her kinder than he had supposed, and felt more inclined to like her than before. He accompanied Fanny without saying a word, and made no opposition when getting ready for the excursion. CHAPTER ELEVEN. THE PICNIC. There were two small open carriages prepared for the expedition. The laird drove Mrs Maclean and Mrs Leslie in one, and Captain Vallery took charge of his wife and children in the other. After driving some way along the road, leaving the loch behind them they mounted a hill, and to Fanny's surprise, she found that they were close to Alec Morrison's cottage. The laird called him out. "We are going to Glen Corpach, and as I am not sure whether we shall find any one to row the boat there, I wish you would come with us." Alec said he could not leave Robby. "Bring him, then," said the laird. "You get up by the side of me, and Robby can go in the other carriage with the children." They stopped a few minutes while his grandfather helped Robby to put on his best clothes. His toilet was quickly finished, and Alec lifted him into the carriage with the children. Fanny was very glad to see him, but Norman looked at him askance, as if he was an intruder, and was afraid besides that he would ask after the little bird. Fanny also was afraid that he might do so, and she was very unwilling to have to tell him that it was dead. She therefore talked to him about as many things as she could think of. She asked him how Lory was, and if he had ever been in a carriage before? Robby answered that Lory was very well, and that he had once been in a carrier's cart, but that it did not move as fast as they were going, and seemed highly delighted with the drive. The question both the children dreaded came at last.