"I'll tell you what, mother," said James, "you may thank Tom for all the mischief--and he knows it."
"That it was through him the bull got loose, and that poor Fury is nearly killed."
"I say it was," replied James; and then all the brothers and sisters began to speak at once.
_Mary._ "And see what a condition he is in."
_William._ "You know Hodge saw you, Tom, on the top of the shed."
_Elizabeth._ "What a dirty creature you are, Tom; and how you smell of the stable!"
_Jane._ "Mother! mother! I want some bread and honey, like Master Fairchild."
_Dick._ "I want a sop in the pan, mother--mayn't I have a sop?"
In the midst of all this noise and confusion, in walked Mr. Fairchild and Mr. Burke. The men in the yard had told them of what had happened; and it had been made plain to Mr. Burke that Tom had been at the bottom of the mischief.
Mr. Fairchild hastened in all anxiety to his poor boy; and was full of thankfulness to God for having saved him from the dreadful danger which had threatened him; and Mr. Burke began to speak to his son Tom with more severity than he often used. He even called for a cane, and said he would give it him soundly, and at that minute too; but Mrs. Burke stepped in and begged him off; and as she stood between him and his father he slunk away, and kept out of his sight as long as Henry and Mr. Fairchild stayed.
If Tom never came within sight of his father all the rest of that day, Henry never once went out of the reach of his father's eye.
After dinner and tea, Henry was again dressed in his own clothes, which Mrs. Burke had got washed and cleaned for him, and in the cool of the evening he walked quietly home with his father.
"Oh, papa!" said Henry, when they came again under the shade of Blackwood, "I do not now wish to have my own way, as I did this morning, I am now quite sure that it does not make people happy to have it."
"Then, my boy," replied Mr. Fairchild, "you have learned a very good lesson to-day, and I trust that you will never forget it."
[Illustration: Lucy and Emily had now each a doll]
The little books brought by Lucy were not even looked at until the evening came which was to be given up to reading the first of them. Henry had begged that his book might be read last, because he said that he should be sure to like it best; so Emily's was to afford the amusement for the first evening.