v.] HIARRV’S DREAM. 251

of pity for the luckless umpire who had apparently
expiated all his offences at last, and would no longer
be able to give boys out unfairly, a ray of light was
shed upon the subject by the lady, who languidly re-
marked to her companion,

‘There, I really think that head does very nicely.
How very well it looks, when it grins with that com-
placent, self-satisfied air! Iam so glad we have got
him !”

“You may thank the boy for that!’ cried the old
gentleman. ‘If he hadn’t said, “Confound that old
ass Watkins!” just at that particular time and place,
we should never have caught the old fellow at all.
But now we've been able to “confound” him indeed.
What a comfort it is when one is able to take people
at their words, and do the things they say they wish—
though very likely they don’t wish them at all, only
they never know their own minds!’

‘True, remarked his companion: ‘Mortals are
queer creatures. It is lucky for them that there are
only certain places in the world, and those few in
number, where we have the power to-take advantage
of their words, or they would have many more
troubles than now.’

‘Certainly they would,’ observed the other. ‘At
least some of them would have a rough time of it.
But how should we manage in such a case? We
should have more to attend to than any Fairy
could manage.’

Harry had listened to the dialogue thus far with
great attention, and had gathered from it that he
himself had been, unwittingly, the ‘cause of the mis-