Whether it was the wish of obliging the young ladies, or the desire of seeing her parents, I cannot pretend to say, but in a luckless hour Susan yielded, and the party soon reached the village.

Susan’s mother was delighted at seeing her, and highly honored by the young ladies’ presence.

“Oh, sweet, dear creatures!” said the old woman, “I must get something for them to eat after their long walk, and my oven’s quite hot, and I can bake them a little cake in a quarter of an hour, and I’ll milk Jenny in ten minutes.”

The temptation of her hot cake and new milk was not to be withstood, and Susan began taking down some smart china cups, which were arranged in form upon the mantelpiece, and carefully dusted them for the young ladies’ use.

Eliza followed the old woman into the cow-house, and began asking a thousand questions, when her attention was suddenly attracted by the appearance of a tame lamb, who went up bleating to its mistress with a view of asking its accustomed breakfast.

“You must wait a little, Billy,” said the woman, “and let your betters be served before you.  Don’t you see that we have got gentlefolks to breakfast with us this morning?”

Eliza was so delighted with the beauty of the little animal that she wanted to kiss it, and attempted to restrain it for that purpose, while Billy, ungrateful for her intended kindness, gave a sudden spring and frisked away.

Eliza followed in hopes of being able to catch him, but he ran baaing along into the high road.

A woman whose appearance was descriptive of poverty but whose smiling countenance indicated good nature, at that moment happened to pass, and, accosting Eliza in a tone of familiarity, said:  “That’s not half such a pretty lamb, miss, as I have got at home, and not a quarter so tame, for if you did but say, ‘Bob’ he’d follow you from one end of the town to the other, and then he’ll fetch and carry like a dog, stand up on his hind legs, when my husband says ‘Up’ for the thing, and play more tricks than a young kitten.”

“Oh, the pretty creature,” replied Eliza, “how I should like to see it!”

“Well, come along with me, miss,” said the woman, “for I only lives just across the next field, but you must run as hard as you can, because my husband is going to work, and he generally takes Bob with him.”

“Well, make haste, then,” said Eliza.

“Give me your hand, miss,” replied the woman; “for we can run faster together.  But there goes my husband, I declare; and there’s Bob, as usual, skipping on before.”

“Where? where?” exclaimed Eliza, stretching her little neck as far as she possibly could, to see if she could discern the lamb.

“You are not tall enough,” said the artful creature; “but let me lift you up, miss, and then I dare say you will see them;” and, instantly catching her up, she cried out:  “Look directly towards the steeple, miss; but I’ll run with you in my arms, and I warrant we’ll soon overtake them.”