"Of course," I said; "what is it?" We waited an instant, breathlessly. "Benvenuto Cellini Carville," he pronounced carefully, and added as an afterthought, "I'm Ben; he's Beppo." "Fancy giving a child a name like that!" muttered Bill, compassionately. "I call it a shame!" And she leaned over towards the two children. "Do you know my name then?" she asked. The clear, steady eyes rested for a moment upon her face, and a slight smile curved the lips of the elder as he answered. "Ma calls you the woman with two husbands," he remarked. "Oh!" said Bill, and fell back into the hammock. "Say, Kiddo," said Mac, reaching out a long arm and capturing them, "what do they teach you down in that old school anyway, eh?" They squirmed. "It is useless to try and force anything out of them," I warned. "Remember the school-teacher is forbidden by law even to touch them." They slipped away from his knee, and stood as before. "Listen," I continued. "Got a father, Beppo?" He surveyed me with some slight astonishment. "Sure," he replied. "Of course I got a father, silly." "Well, where is he?" They looked at each other, their arms folded behind them, their toes digging the gravel. "At sea," said Beppo, and Mac slapped his knee. "Eh?" I said, blankly, for I had not caught the phrase. "We are a lot of duffers!" muttered Mac. "The man is a sailor and he's at sea." "Oh!" I said, and for a moment I felt downcast at the tame ending of our investigation. "When is he coming home, Beppo?" "I dunno," he answered, indifferently. "What do you want to know for?" Here was a quandary. I was caught fairly and squarely prying into another person's business. I don't know why, but these two little chaps, with their clean-cut unembarrassed features, their relentless stare and their matter-of-fact outlook upon life, seemed to have in a supreme degree the faculty of inspiring and snubbing curiosity. I think the others, since I had borne the brunt of the ordeal, sympathized with me, for they were silent. I stared at our visitors in some perplexity; and then in the most exasperating manner they turned away and ran across our ground to a huge hollow stump near the forest path and began to play. "Pretty tough, eh?" murmured Mac, rocking himself. I began to wonder whether I ought to have been more indignant about that reflection upon my height. Bill looked up and twisted round so that she could see what they were doing. "What are they playing?" she whispered. No one answered. I was thinking. Sailor--sixty dollars a month rent--Italian wife--letters from New York. "I will see," I said, and stepping down I walked across to the stump. I was fully resolved to sift the matter as far as I could to the bottom. I was aware of the disadvantage of being a small man, for I saw that I should be compelled to climb up to look into the stump. But with small stature is often joined a certain tenacious, terrier-like fortitude. I advanced with firmness.