“I should like so much to go, if it were only for five minutes, on the terrace!” said she to herself. “How much pleasanter it is than this. Grandmama did not care where I went, provided nobody saw me! I may at least take a peep to see if any one is there!”

Laura now cautiously opened the garden-door, and put her head out, intending only to look for a moment, but the moment grew longer and longer, till it stretched into ten minutes.

“What crowds of fine people are walking about on the terrace!” thought she. “It looks as gay as a fair! Who can that officer be in a red coat, and cocked hat with white feathers. Probably General Courteney paying attention to Lady Rockville. There is a lady in a blue cloak and blue flowers! how very pretty! Everybody is so exceedingly smart! and I see some little boys too! Grandmama never told me any children were coming! I wonder how old they are, and if they will play with me in the evening! It would be very amusing to venture a little nearer, and get a better glimpse of them all!”

[81]
]If Laura’s wishes pointed one way and her duty pointed the other, it was a very sad thing how often she forgot to pause and consider which she ought to follow; and on this occasion, as usual, she took the naughty side of the question, and prepared to indulge her curiosity, though very anxious that nothing might happen to displease her grandmama. She observed at some distance on the terrace, a remarkably large thick holly-bush, near which the great procession of company would probably pass before long, therefore, hoping nobody could possibly see her there, she stole hastily out of the garden, and concealed herself behind it; but when children do wrong, in hopes of not being found out, they generally find themselves mistaken, as Laura soon discovered to her cost. It is very lucky, however, for the culprits, when they are detected, that they may learn never to behave so foolishly again, because the greatest misfortune that can happen to a child is, not to be found out and punished when he does wrong.

A few minutes after Laura had taken her station behind the holly-bush, crowds of ladies and officers came strolling along, so very near her hiding-place, that she saw them all distinctly, and felt excessively amused and delighted at first, to be perched like a bird in a tree watching this grand party, while nobody saw her, nor guessed that she was there. Presently, however, Laura became sadly frightened when an officer in a scarlet coat happened to look towards the holly-bush, and exclaimed, with some surprise,

“There is surely something very odd about that plant! I see large pink spots between the leaves!”

“Oh no, Captain Digby, you are quite mistaken,” answered one of the ladies, dressed in a bright yellow bonnet and green pelisse. “I see nothing particular there! only a common ugly bush of holly! I wonder you ever thought of noticing it!”

“But, Miss Perceval! there certainly is something very [82] ]curious behind! I would bet five to one there is!” replied Captain Digby, stepping up, close to the holly-bush, and peeping over: “What have we here! a ragged little girl, I do believe! in a pink frock!”

Poor Laura was now in a terrible scrape; she started up immediately to run away. Probably she never ran so fast in her life before, but Captain Digby was a person who enjoyed a joke, so he called out

“Tally-ho! a race for a thousand pounds!”