'
Reginald ran after Maurice, who had just reached the nest.
'There is one coming in, the evening is so warm they are not quiet
yet.'
'I'll quiet them,' said Maurice, kneeling down, and putting his first
puff-ball into the hole.
Reginald stood by with a sly smile, as he pulled a branch off a
neighbouring filbert-tree. The next moment Maurice gave a sudden
yell, 'The wasps! the wasps!' and jumping up, and tripping at his
first step, rolled down the bank, and landed safely at Lord
Rotherwood's feet. The shouts of laughter were loud, but he regarded
them not, and as soon as he recovered his feet, rushed past his
sisters, and never stopped till he reached the house. Redgie stood
alone, in the midst of a cloud of wasps, beating them off with a
bough, roaring with laughter, and calling Wat to bring the straw to
burn them.
'No, no, Redgie, come away, leave them for Maurice to try again,'
said his father.
'The brute, he stung me,' cried Reginald, knocking down a wasp or two
as he came down. 'What is this?' added he, as he stumbled over
something at the bottom of the slope. 'Oh! Maurice's basket; look
here--laudanum--did he mean to poison the wasps?'
'No,' said Jane, 'to cure their stings.
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