A PLEASANT SURPRISE.

“Why, Nellie, wherever have you been all the morning?
Cook said you had gone down to the village with nurse on
an errand, and I have been wanting so much to tell you a
piece of news,” and so saying Ned Sinclair ran up to his
little sister, who had been sitting for some time playing
with her new doll and reading her latest story book. ‘‘ What
is it, Ned?” said Nell. “Are we to go down to Farmer
Brown’s hayfield this afternoon and help there, and all have
tea: amongst the haycocks afterwards?” “You have just
guessed rightly, Nell, and mother says we can call on our
way down for Eva and Charlie to come with us, too. Won't
it just be jolly fun?” “ But what are we to do till then, for
as Miss Harvey is not well, we are not to have any lessons
to-day,” said Nell. “Oh, I know, Nell, let’s go down to
the stables to see the new pony that father has bought
for us,” and so off ran the two children to look for old
Robert, the coachman, and ask him to show them the nice
little Shetland pony that had been bought for them to learn
how to ride on, and to talk over with him the fine time

they hoped to have at Farmer Brown’s in the afternoon.