"A little boy should not speak disrespectfully of the tender feelings of women and girls," observed Mrs Leslie. "Fanny is very right when she expresses her sorrow, at hearing of deer being killed merely for sport, though if they were allowed to live in great numbers they would prevent other more useful animals from finding pasture." "I say it is very good fun, shooting animals of all sorts," exclaimed Norman. "You should not speak to your grandmamma in that tone," said Mrs Vallery. Norman always grew angry when rebuked, and muttered something to himself, of which no one took notice. After dinner Fanny remained with her granny and mamma to do some work, while Norman stole out of the room. He stood in the hall for some minutes, and then creeping upstairs, went into Fanny's bed-chamber. There on the bed lay Miss Lucy. Taking her up he silently came downstairs, and made his way by the back door into the garden, hoping that no one observed him. "I will pay Fanny off for laughing at me," he muttered, as he ran quickly, with Lucy in his arms, towards the plot of ground at the farthest end, near Fanny's garden which had remained uncultivated. He had left Fanny's spade there the day before. Picking it up and hiding the doll in the shrubbery, he began digging away in the soft ground till he had made a large and deep hole. Not caring how much the earth would spoil Miss Lucy's wax face and pretty dress, he placed her in it, and then covered her completely over, smoothing the ground so that, as he thought, no one would discover that he had been digging there. "Now though my football is spoilt, Fanny will never get her doll again, and so we are equal," he muttered to himself, as he went towards the tool-house to leave the spade there. Just then he caught sight of Trusty running along the path. The dog never came near him if he could help it. Norman put the spade where he had intended, and returning to the lawn, began playing with his trap and ball. He soon grew tired of being by himself, so going to the drawing-room window, he shouted out-- "Fanny I want you to come and play with me." "You may go out, and try and amuse your little brother," said Mrs Vallery, "he should not be left so much by himself." Fanny, though she wanted to finish her work, without a word of remonstrance, put it aside, and ran out to the lawn. "Now, Fanny, just try and catch the ball if you can, I have got the trap, so I intend to be in first," said Norman striking the trap with his bat. Fanny did as her brother asked her.