After breakfast was over, grandmamma told the children they might put on their hats and go out of doors.  They did not need to be spoken to twice.

First of all they had a run round the garden, peeped into the greenhouse, and said “How do you do?” to the gardener.  But they did not stop long among the lovely spring flowers, for they were in such haste to see the animals.

[Illustration:  The visit to the pony. Page 13.]

Jack said, “We must pay our first visit to the pony;” so away they went to the stable.

The pony was very sober and steady, and, I am sorry to add, rather lazy; so the children did not get much fun out of him.  He lifted up his head and gave a little neigh to Jack, for he seemed to remember him; and then he went on eating his hay in the most unconcerned manner.

They then went to see the large dog in the yard.  Lion was very glad to see them.  He harked with delight, wagged his tail, rattled his chain; in fact he seemed as if he would break away from it, in his eagerness to meet the children.

“Lion is ever so much nicer than the pony,” they said.

The fact was, the pony had not much work to do, and his chief thoughts were about his hay and his corn and his nice warm stable.  Now Lion, although he was generally chained to his kennel, had to watch for others.  He was always listening to hear if any one came upon the premises who had no business there; and he barked so loudly that tramps and idle people thought it best to go away.  He always welcomed the gardener and the servants, and especially his master, whenever they came to see him; so that every one about the place would give a pat or a word to the friendly dog whenever they passed that way.

“Now let us go and see the fowls,” said Mary.

On the right hand side of the drive up to the house was a wide strip of grass planted with shrubs.  Here, standing back, were some wire enclosures inside of which were some choice broods of chickens.

The girls could have stopped here “for hours,” they said, watching the little chickens, that looked like balls of white or yellow or gray down running about or hiding under their mothers’ wings.

However, most of the fowls were in the orchard, close by which was the hen-house.  Fancy what a pretty sight that orchard was this sunshiny spring morning!  How alive with different sorts of fowls running hither and thither—­black, and gray, and speckled; old motherly hens, and pert, lively young ones; while the cocks strutted about and crowed one against another.  Then a hen would come out of the hen-house, where the nests were, telling all the world, by her loud, proud cackling, that she had laid an egg.  What noise there was then, for cocks and hens would all join in chorus.  Some of the hens seemed to get together to have a quiet chat, as if they were talking over their family affairs; about which they did not always seem to agree, if you might judge by their noise.