Miss Bradley felt sorry for him, and she laid her finger over her lips when she heard some of the children beginning to laugh.

“What is the name of your selection, Bobbie?” the teacher asked kindly.

“It—­it’s about Ma—­Mary and her—­her little lamb!”

“That’s a cute little poem.  Don’t be afraid.  I’ll start you off, and then perhaps you can remember the rest.  Now begin,” and Miss Bradley said the first line.

This helped Bobbie very much, and he got along all right until he came to the verse about the lamb following Mary to school.  Bobbie got as far as, “It followed her to school one day which was——­”

And there poor Bobbie “stuck.”  He couldn’t think what came next.

“It followed her to school one day—­school one day—­one day,” he said slowly.

“Yes,” said Miss Bradley kindly.  “And what comes next, Bobbie?  Was it right for the lamb to follow Mary to school?”

Miss Bradley wanted Bobbie to say, “which was against the rule,” but Bobbie couldn’t just then remember that.  Suddenly his eyes opened wide.  He pointed to the back of the room, where a clattering sound was heard, and cried: 

“Look!  Look what’s coming in!”

CHAPTER XII

WATERING THE GARDEN

Instantly all the children turned around to look at what Bobbie Boomer was pointing to.  And gasps of surprise came from Bunny Brown and Sue, as well as from the other pupils and the teacher.

For, standing in the doorway of the classroom, which was on the ground floor, was Toby, the Brown’s Shetland pony.  He stood there looking in, the wind blowing his fluffy mane and forelock, and his bright eyes looking around the classroom as if for a sight of Bunny and his sister.

“Oh, Toby!” cried Bunny.  He had spoken out loud in school, but as it was the last day it did not so much matter.

“He came to school, just like Mary’s lamb!” exclaimed Charlie Star.

Fat Bobbie Boomer seemed to be forgotten, but the sight of the pony appeared to have brought back to the little boy’s mind the line he had missed.

“Which was against the rule!” he suddenly exclaimed.

Every one laughed, even Miss Bradley, and she added: 

“Yes, it was against the rule for the lamb to follow Mary to school, and I suppose it’s just as much against the rule for the pony to follow Bunny Brown and his sister Sue.”

“Please, Teacher, he didn’t follow me!” said Bunny.

“Nor me!” added Sue.  “We didn’t know he was coming!  He was in the stable when we came from home.”

This was very true, and they were all wondering how it had happened that Toby had followed the children.  It was something he had never done before, and, though he was a great pet, he was not exactly Mary’s lamb—­he did not follow Bunny and Sue everywhere they went.

“Suppose, Bunny, you take Toby out of the room,” suggested Miss Bradley, for the Shetland pony did not seem to want to go of his own accord.  “Can you manage him?” the teacher asked.