"I saw the young lady and her coachman coming along, and I thought I'd make her jump," he cried; "ha! ha!" "How _could_ you be so cruel, Jim? see how frightened she is," said Ben, indignantly. "Big boys like you ought not to frighten little girls. Never mind, Kit; he will not do it again." "Don't you be too sure," cried Jim, as he disappeared behind the bushes. It would have been wiser if Ben had turned homewards after this little affair, but he was so anxious to show Kit the bird's nest. He watched till Jim ran off to the little stream where he had found the nestling for Kit a short time before, and then wheeled her onwards. At the stream, Jim joined Eliza (his sister next in age to himself), who was in charge of a little girl about a year old. He spoke to her as if ordering her home, and then stopped to watch her proceedings for a few minutes. She had taken the shoes and socks off the baby and was going to teach it to walk in the water. Poor little thing, it was grasped roughly round the waist, while its tiny feet were jumped up and down on the stones in the stream. "I shan't go home till I've given Jane a bathe, shall I, darling?" Jane screamed, and Eliza shook her. "I'm not going to stand any of that, so stop at once," she said, and, whilst trying to get a firmer hold of the child, it fell sideways into the stream. Of course, Jane screamed louder, and Eliza took her or tugged her up the bank as best she could; all her little garments dripping with water. "Won't you catch it," cried Jim, with a whistle. "Don't tell, Jim, and I'll wring out her things, and they'll dry before I get home." "Won't I though; you told about me the other day, didn't you? But I must be off, wishing you good luck," and he ran away in the direction Ben and Kit had gone, leaving Jane to her fate. Eliza did her utmost to dry the clothes, and all the way home was planning the best method of getting over her scrape, if her mother should find it out. On went Ben with his little charge, quite unaware that they were both followed by Jim, who was very curious to know their proceedings. A short distance up the road, on the side of a hill, Ben came to a gate, which was attached to a post by a chain slipped over it; he raised this, and pushed the perambulator into the meadow, and, lifting Kit out, told her to take his hand, while he pushed the "coach" up the rising ground, past some straggling bushes. "Now, we'll leave it here for a few minutes, Kit, while we scramble through this little hole in the fence into the wood, and you'll hear the birds sing, if you be quiet, and I'll show you the little nest Will Grant showed me. We mustn't stay many minutes, because I promised to be back before father comes home to tea. I'll take the shawl on my arm, in case you would like to sit on it."