Mr.Blake was supposed to take charge out of school hours; he was, as every one said, "a jolly fellow," and the fact that his popularity extended far and wide among a large circle of friends and acquaintances, caused him to have a good many irons in the fire of one sort and another.

During their hours of leisure, therefore, the Birchites were left pretty much to their own devices, or more often to those of Master Fred Acton, who liked, as has already been stated, to assume the office of bellwether to the little flock.
At the time when our story commences the ground was covered with snow; but Acton was equal to the occasion, and as soon as dinner was over, ordered all hands to come outside and make a slide.
The garden was on a steep slope, along the bottom of which ran the brick wall bounding one side of the playground; a straight, steep path lay between this and the house, and the youthful dux, with his usual disregard of life and limb, insisted on choosing this as the scene of operations.
"What!" he cried, in answer to a feeble protest on the part of Mugford, "make it on level ground?
Of course not, when we've got this jolly hill to go down; not if I know it.

We'll open the door at the bottom, and go right on into the playground." "But how if any one goes a bit crooked, and runs up against the bricks ?" "Well, they'll get pretty well smashed, or he will.

You must go straight; that's half the fun of the thing--it'll make it all the more exciting.

Come on and begin to tread down the snow." Without daring to show any outward signs of reluctance, but with feelings very much akin to those of men digging their own graves before being shot, the company set about putting this fearful project into execution.