The children soon left off talking, to go and play. Betsey showed them a spot where daisies were growing very thick in the grass, and they all went to gather some to make daisy chains. Betsey was the cleverest in making these garlands, for little girls who go to a sewing school, and learn to sew, and hem, and stitch, and thread needles, can split the stalk of a daisy and fasten the end into it much better than a boy can, who is used only to cut sticks, and play at ball and marbles; but the boys could gather daisies quite as well and as quickly as Betsey. So, in order to get on with their chains as fast as they could, it was settled that the boys should gather the flowers, whilst Betsey sat still and made them into chains. Then, when the chains were all finished, the two boys climbed up the trees and hung them in festoons from bough to bough, and Betsey, who had been so long sitting still, jumped about for joy seeing them look so beautiful. They then fetched their parents to show them how prettily they had ornamented the trees, and Martha explained it all to her blind mother, who could not see the beautiful wreaths of daisies; and having been praised for their work, the children began to consider what they should do next. "I wish I had my hoop," said Betsey; "and I wish I had my top," said Johnny; "and I wish I had my ball," cried Willy, "my poor pretty ball!" "Why, what has happened to it?" inquired the children. Willy then told the whole story of his ball, and ended by saying, "how nicely we should have played with it together!" Whilst they were standing under their garlands of daisies, consulting together what game they should next play at, a large new ball fell down amongst them. It seemed to come from the skies. They all stared with astonishment; then Willy picked it up, and, as he stooped down, he saw a man's legs behind a bush, and he knew by the chequered trowsers on them that the man was his Papa. Papa wanted to hide himself to make the children wonder where the ball came from, but Willy ran after him and caught him, and then jumped up and kissed him to thank him for the present. "Why, how did you find me out?" asked his father. "Oh! because the bush was not so thick of leaves at the bottom as at top; so in stooping down I had a peep of you through the branches." "Well," cried Betsey, "I really thought the ball fell from the skies." "How could you be such a goose?" cried Willy. "Balls never fall from the sky, unless they are thrown up first, and then to be sure they must come down again. But now, let us play with it." So they tossed the ball from Johnny to Betsey, and from Betsey to Willy, and from Willy to Johnny again. After the ball had gone round for some time, Betsey said, "I wish there were a few more of us to catch the ball, for then we should have much better fun." "You must divide yourself into five," said Willy, "and then we should have four more to catch the ball." "What nonsense you are talking," cried Betsey.