“And all India smells of sandal-wood," remarked Tom.

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Very improving, this. Proceed."

"The cooks go to market on horseback. The beggars beg on horseback (at least, the cripples do), and the children ride down the hills to school on the backs of large sheep."

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Now, I wonder whether that's true, or not! Have you any other remark to make ?" "Yes. I did not hear any birds sing at Rio, but the frogs chirped exactly as sparrows do, and there were flies who whistled at night. Their note was just like a railway whistle, and quite as loud."

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Now, stop! I am going to sum up, and I will mainly insist on that perverse ingenuity which has not only avoided conveying one single item of worthy information, but which has prevented me from bringing out my learning. One more question. What is the depth of Rio harbour ?”

"I don't know."

"Then, as Captain Cuttle said, 'No more don't I.'"

After this I had Valentine and his Greek to myself all the rest of the morning, and, after luncheon, April having treated us to one of

her ever-fresh varieties, and given us a warm, still, and very sunny day, we sallied forth in a body to a certain fir copse, where we meant to sit for awhile, Aunt Christie bringing some books with her, and Tom also. We reached a screen of larches, and came through it to a place where the underwood had been cut away, and the large trees left. A good many felled trunks lay on the ground, with clumps of primroses about them, and on the slope of a ridge grew whole nations of anemones and wild hyacinths.

We sat down on the ridge, just in front of the screen of firs. The long, deep dell was all bare to the light, for the chestnuts and poplartrees had not yet unfolded their crumpled. leaves, and the sun was pouring down his rays on the heads of the flowers. I do not know that a partly felled wood is a particularly lovely place in general, but that unsullied sky was delightful, so was the sudden warmth and the thick shelter behind us, and I liked to see the shy English birds flitting about and piping, and then peeping round corners at us.

Aunt Christie was with us, but not Mrs. Henfrey, she almost always remained where Mr. Mortimer chose to be. Valentine pre

sently came up, with a large untidy bunch of flowers in each hand, and his little dog followed with some twigs of flowering larch in his mouth.

Aunt Christie began to caress him. It appeared that he was Emily's dog, and had been left in special charge of Valentine.

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Bonny Emily!" said Aunt Christie, "I miss her. It's not much of a man she's got ; but, I'll answer for it, she rules him well."

"She does," said Mr. Brandon. "Not that that is anything uncommon; this is a womanridden age. Yet, it is but fair to confess that all the former ones were man-ridden ages. What we want is a happy proportion."

"Emily was always sure such wonderful things were coming," remarked Lou. "Wasn't she, St. George?"

"Yes," he answered, "Emily always wanted all-wanted the sea at her doorsteps, to come singing up the street, between her and the opposite neighbours. Have we no boats? How easy to step on board; and then we should be out on the road that leads everywhere."

Valentine, who had flung himself full length on the slope, and tied his flowers together,

taking the twigs from his dog to add to them, now reared himself on one elbow, and graciously saying, "There, I knew you wanted some of these," dropped the ponderous lump of flowers on my lap.

My dear boy!" said Mr. Brandon, "I really think I must take you in hand; is that the sort of nosegay to give a lady-bigger than her head, and tied up with an old hatband, torn off for the occasion?"

"Well," answered Valentine, sulkily, "I had nothing else to tie it up with; and as for bigness, I got one twice as big, last week, for Jane Wilson."

"Worse and worse! you shouldn't have mentioned that little fact at all. Now when I give a nosegay to a lady-"

"Ah! but you never do.”

"How do you know that?"

Ay," said the old aunt, "how does he know that?" It was an ay at least two syllables long.

Mr. Brandon made some reply, in which he was especially severe on the dripping cur, out of whose mouth some of the stuff had been taken, and who, he said, had been pushing his nose into every rat-hole within reach; and

Valentine, taking the matter quite in earnest, exclaimed, "Now, Liz! now, Aunt Christie! isn't this a shame?-Giles was never known in all his days to be attentive and polite. It's my belief he can't bear girls; and because I try to supply his deficiencies, he calls my dog a cur."

"Oh, pray defend your dog," I said; "you

seem to feel the remarks on him far more than those on yourself."

"So I do; he smells no worse than other fellows' dogs, when they have been rat-hunting; and, as to carrying things for me, that's his nature—he's only acting according to his lights." Then, observing that we were laughing at him for taking the thing so seriously, he suddenly came out of his sulky fit, and exclaimed, "If I could see your nosegays, Giles, no doubt I should have a fine example to copy; but it's my belief they are not yet gathered."

"Nor likely to be," said Lou.

"Fancy Giles presenting a nosegay claimed Liz.

! ex

"On one knee, with the words, Accept this wreath, O loveliest of thy sex!'" said Mr. Brandon; "that is my favourite style."