"I'll drive them out," said our hero; and with that, he ran down the garden alley, and made a furious descent on the enemy; bestirring himself, as Bunyan says, "lustily and with good courage," till every sheep had skipped out much quicker than it skipped in; and then, springing over the fence, he seized a great stone, and nailed on the picket so effectually that no sheep could possibly encourage the hope of getting in again. This was all the work of a minute, and he was back again; but so exceedingly out of breath that it was necessary for him to stop a moment and rest himself. Uncle Lot looked ungraciously satisfied. "What under the canopy set you to scampering so?" said he; "I could a' driv out them critturs myself." "If you are at all particular about driving them out _yourself_, I can let them in again," said James. Uncle Lot looked at him with an odd sort of twinkle in the corner of his eye. "'Spose I must ask you to walk in," said he. "Much obliged," said James; "but I am in a great hurry." So saying, he started in very business-like fashion towards the gate. "You'd better jest stop a minute." "Can't stay a minute." "I don't see what possesses you to be all the while in sich a hurry; a body would think you had all creation on your shoulders." "Just my situation, Uncle Lot," said James, swinging open the gate. "Well, at any rate, have a drink of cider, can't ye?" said Uncle Lot, who was now quite engaged to have his own way in the case. James found it convenient to accept this invitation, and Uncle Lot was twice as good-natured as if he had staid in the first of the matter. Once fairly forced into the premises, James thought fit to forget his long walk and excess of business, especially as about that moment Aunt Sally and Miss Grace returned from an afternoon call. You may be sure that the last thing these respectable ladies looked for was to find Uncle Lot and Master James _tete-a-tete_, over a pitcher of cider; and when, as they entered, our hero looked up with something of a mischievous air, Miss Grace, in particular, was so puzzled that it took her at least a quarter of an hour to untie her bonnet strings. But James staid, and acted the agreeable to perfection. First, he must needs go down into the garden to look at Uncle Lot's wonderful cabbages, and then he promenaded all around the corn patch, stopping every few moments and looking up with an appearance of great gratification, as if he had never seen such corn in his life; and then he examined Uncle Lot's favorite apple tree with an expression of wonderful interest. "I never!" he broke forth, having stationed himself against the fence opposite to it; "what kind of an apple tree is that?" "It's a bellflower, or somethin' another," said Uncle Lot. "Why, where _did_ you get it? I never saw such apples!" said our hero, with his eyes still fixed on the tree.