Harry Pearson was rather a good sort of boy, but he had one very bad habit. He was the greatest stone-thrower in all Tolhurst Village.
It was Harry who had broken the draper's window and the glass of Squire Stopford's greenhouse. He had not been found out; but he knew well enough who had done the mischief, so when one afternoon, as he was running home from school, he saw a man putting up a great placard announcing that stone-throwers would be prosecuted, he felt very much frightened.
He was just slinking home when out came his father, the Squire's gardener.
Harry thought that his father had found out about the stone-throwing, and hung down his head.
But, instead of scolding him as, he had expected, his father said, as if he were pleased--
"Harry, Master Edgar is better to-day, and he wants you to come in now and wheel his chair for him."
Harry's face brightened at once; for there were few things he liked better than to be allowed to go into the Squire's beautiful garden when Master Edgar, the Squire's only son, was well enough to come out in his wheeled-chair.
Edgar Stopford was about the same age as Harry; but he had never been strong, and for more than a year he had been lame.
"All right, father!" exclaimed Harry gleefully. "Is he in the garden?"
And without waiting for an answer he ran in and found Edgar Stopford waiting for him.
"Harry," said Edgar, "I want you to take me in the chair round to the stable, for I want to see the young rabbits. How old are they now, Harry? I've been so ill that I can't quite remember."
"Seven weeks old to-day," said Harry. "I want to see them again very much, Master Edgar. They're such beauties; I can't help thinking of them every day."
"You haven't any rabbits, have you?" asked Edgar.
"Mine are prize rabbits, you know," said Edgar, "The old tortoise-shell one took the prize both this year and last year at the County show. Oh! And what do you think? A boy I know has been over here ever so many times trying to get that young lop-eared tortoise-shell doe! You remember which one, don't you?"
"Oh yes! oh yes! That was the one I liked best of all! It had such good broad ears!" cried Harry with enthusiasm. "You didn't let him have it though, did you, Master Edgar?"