[Illustration: FROM THE CHRISTMAS TREE.]
"You musn't sit here in the cold," said Leslie; "come, try and get up,
and I will help you home."
"Oh! Leslie," cried both his cousins, "don't go. You will be late for
the races, and lose your chance of the prize."
Poor Leslie! He turned first red, then white, and then said, in a
husky tone of voice--
"Never mind--you go on without me."
"You're a good laddie," said the old woman. "Will you be _very_ sorry
to miss the fun?"
Leslie muttered something about not minding _much_, and then the brave
little fellow set himself to help the poor old woman home, as gently
and tenderly as he could.
She would not let him come in with her, but told him to run off as
quickly as he could, and perhaps after all, he would not be too late
for the skating. But Leslie could not bear to leave her alone and in
pain, so he decided to run home and fetch his Aunt.
When Mrs. Howard arrived at the cottage, you can think how surprised
she was to find that Leslie's "poor old woman" was none other than
Grandmamma Howard herself, who wishing to find out the real characters
of her grandsons, had chosen to come in this disguise to the little
village where they lived.
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