All of the little folks were pleased at that idea, and Diddie immediately began to issue her orders.

“You, Dumps, an’ Tot an’ Dilsey, an’ all of yer—­I’ve got er letter from Lord Burgoyne, an’ he’ll be here to-morrow, an’ I want you all to go right into the kitchen an’ make pies an’ cakes.”  And so the whole party adjourned to a little ditch where mud and water were plentiful (and which on that account had been selected as the kitchen), and began at once to prepare an elegant dinner.

Dear me! how busy the little housekeepers were! and such beautiful pies they made, and lovely cakes all iced with white sand, and bits of grass laid around the edges for trimming! and all the time laughing and chatting as gayly as could be.

“Ain’t we havin’ fun?” said Dumps, who, regardless of her nice clothes, was down on her knees in the ditch, with her sleeves rolled up, and her fat little arms muddy to the elbows; “an’ ain’t you glad we slipped off, Diddie?  I tol’ yer there wan’t nothin’ goin’ to hurt us.”

“And ain’t you glad we let Billy come?” said Diddie; “we wouldn’t er had nobody to be Lord Burgoyne.”

“Yes,” replied Dumps; “an’ he ain’t behaved bad at all; he ain’t butted nobody, an’ he ain’t runned after nobody to-day.”

“’Ook at de take,” interrupted Tot, holding up a mudball that she had moulded with her own little hands, and which she regarded with great pride.

And now, the plank being as full as it would hold, they all returned to the hotel to arrange the table.  But after the table was set the excitement was all over, for there was nobody to be the guest.

“Ef Ole Billy wan’t so mean,” said Chris, “we could fotch ’im hyear in de omnibus.  I wush we’d a let Chubbum an’ Suppum come; dey’d er been Lord Bugon.”

“I b’lieve Billy would let us haul ’im,” said Diddie, who was always ready to take up for her pet; “he’s rael gentle now, an’ he’s quit buttin’; the only thing is, he’s so big we couldn’t get ’im in the wheelbarrer.”

“Me ’n Chris kin put ’im in,” said Dilsey.  “We kin lif ’im, ef dat’s all;” and accordingly the omnibus was dispatched for Lord Burgoyne, who was quietly nibbling grass on the ditch bank at some little distance from the hotel.

He raised his head as the children approached, and regarded them attentively.  “Billy!  Billy! po’ Ole Billy!” soothingly murmured Diddie, who had accompanied Dilsey and Chris with the omnibus, as she had more influence over Old Billy than anybody else.  He came now at once to her side, and rubbed his head gently against her; and while she caressed him, Dilsey on one side and Chris on the other lifted him up to put him on the wheelbarrow.