116 TANGLEWOOD FIRESIDE.

No sooner was breakfast over, than the whole party,
well muffled in furs and woollens, floundered forth into
the midst of the snow. Well, what a day of frosty
sport was this! They slid down hill into the valley,
a hundred times, nobody knows how far; and, to make
it all the merrier, upsetting their sledges, and tum-
bling head over heels, quite as often as they came safely
to the bottom. And, once, Eustace Bright took Pert-
winkle, Sweet Fern, and Squash-blossom, on the sledge
with him, by way of insuring a safe passage; and down
they went, full speed. But, behold, half-way down, the
sledge hit against a hidden stump, and flung all four of
its passengers into a heap; and, on gathering themselves
up, there was no little Squash-blossom to be found!
Why, what could have become of the child? And
while they were wondering and staring about, up started
Squash-blossom out of a snow-bank, with the reddest
face you ever saw, and looking as if a large scarlet flower
had suddenly sprouted up in midwinter. Then there
was a great laugh.

When they had grown tired of sliding down hill, Kus-
tace set the children to digging a cave in the biggest
snow-drift that they could find. Unluckily, just as it was
completed, and the party had squeezed themselves into
the hollow, down came the roof upon their heads, and
buried every soul of them alive! The next moment, up
popped all their little heads out of the ruins, and the
tall student’s head in the midst of them, looking hoary
and venerable with the snow-dust that had got amongst
his brown curls. And then, to punish Cousin Eustace