A SHABBY TRICK. 107

 of disobeying her never even entered his head, and
 his one anxiety was to comply with her every wish.
 Dick and Jack were always the greatest of friends.
 Indeed, both the little Gilberts looked upon their
 cousin almost as another brother, and loved him
 nearly as much as they did each other.
 It was only twice a year that Mrs. Leslie paid
 Hillside a visit, and then she never remained more
 than a month at a time; but nurse had sometimes
 taken the two Gilbert children to stay with their
 aunt; and in this way the three cousins had become
 very intimate.
 But although Mr. Gilbert's children dearly loved
 staying with their aunt, still as their father was
 seldom able to accompany them, and as Mrs. Leslie
 lived in a town, by far the happiest reunion be-
 tween the young people was when the Leslies visited
 Hillside.
 As for Dick, he looked upon a sojourn in the
country as the pleasure of pleasures. Often, although
a cheerful child naturally, he would envy the lot of
Jack and Polly, who enjoyed gardens, green fields,
woods and mountains, all the year round.
 "How long are you going to stay?" was the un-
sophisticated but eager inquiry of Jack as the boys
strolled about the grounds with their arms linked
together.