seeds if you do them ALL. You just take a few here and there, and
if those grow you can feel pretty sure the others will be--what do
you call it?--Father told me--"up to sample". Don't you think we
ought to sample the fire-works? Just shut our eyes and each draw
one out, and then try them.'

'But it's raining cats and dogs,' said Jane.

'And Queen Anne is dead,' rejoined Robert. No one was in a very
good temper. 'We needn't go out to do them; we can just move back
the table, and let them off on the old tea-tray we play toboggans
with. I don't know what YOU think, but _I_ think it's time we did
something, and that would be really useful; because then we
shouldn't just HOPE the fireworks would make those Prossers sit
up--we should KNOW.'

'It WOULD be something to do,' Cyril owned with languid approval.

So the table was moved back. And then the hole in the carpet, that
had been near the window till the carpet was turned round, showed
most awfully. But Anthea stole out on tip-toe, and got the tray
when cook wasn't looking, and brought it in and put it over the
hole.

Then all the fireworks were put on the table, and each of the four
children shut its eyes very tight and put out its hand and grasped
something. Robert took a cracker, Cyril and Anthea had Roman
candles; but Jane's fat paw closed on the gem of the whole collection,
the Jack-in-the-box that had cost two shillings, and one at least of the
party--I will not say which, because it was sorry afterwards--declared