But Leslie stopped at once and apologized, in his polite little way,
for his carelessness.

"I _am_ sorry," he said. "I hope I did not hurt you; and you have such
heavy parcels to carry too. Won't you let me help you?"

"Oh! come on, Leslie," said his cousins; "we shall never get to the
pond at this rate!"

"Yes, go on," said the old woman sharply; "your skating is of a great
deal more importance than an old woman, eh?"

But Leslie's only answer was to take the parcels and trudge merrily
along beside his companion.

On the way to her cottage the old woman asked him all sorts of
questions about himself and his cousins, and then, having reached her
cottage, dismissed him with scarcely a "thank you" for the trouble he
had taken. But Leslie did not take it much to heart.

He raced along, trying his hardest to overtake his cousins before they
reached the pond, and was soon skimming about with the rest of them.

Squire Leaholme, in whose grounds the boys were skating, afterwards
came down to the pond to watch the fun, and, being a kind-hearted old
gentleman, offered to give a prize of a new pair of skates to the boy
who should win the greatest number of races.

As it was getting late, it was arranged that the racing should come