"But may not Eric take her?" "Uncle Charlie must decide that question: if he has no objections to travelling with an animal that is never out of mischief, I suppose Eric may take charge of her." "But then, mamma, Eric will be gone a whole long year--" "And as you have lived nine whole long years," interrupted her mother, smiling, "without a monkey, or a desire for one, don't you think you could survive the separation?" Nettie didn't then think she could; but a while after, when Froll chased her with a paint-brush dripping wet with red paint, and then completely spoiled a pretty landscape view that Herbert was painting for her, she changed her mind, and decided that a voyage from Hamburg to New York with such an uncontrollable creature would be, to say the least, inconvenient. To be sure, papa was to meet them at the Hague, and he might be willing to look to her safe transportation across the Atlantic; but she had not much faith in this argument, and, making a virtue of necessity, resigned herself with becoming grace to her mother's wishes. Looking back upon the pleasant summer months at Castle Wernier, the children thought time had never gone so quickly. They were soon to be parted from each other, and their pleasant German home and every object took a new interest to them. "The value of a thing is never known till we have lost it," Herbert said, sorrowfully, thinking how lonely Adele and he would become when parted from their companions. "Nor how dear a place an old castle is, until we are forced to leave it," said Eric. "I remember thinking once," said Nettie, "that this place was horrible. It was when we were all so frightened about the ghost." "And all the time I was the ghost," Adele added; "and I used to think it very hard that I couldn't speak to you, not knowing that I was frightening you all out of your wits." "I suppose more than half the ghosts we read about are only people walking in their sleep, as Adele did," said Herbert. "Of course," said Nettie; "but if we stay here all day, talking about ghosts, what will become of our pets and toys?" As Herbert and Adele were to start for their home in England when Mrs. Hyde and her children left the castle, all their pets were to be disposed of among the gardener's children, that is, all but Froll, for Eric was sure that uncle Charlie would not object to having the little creature for a travelling companion; and as Mrs. Hyde would not allow Nettie to take her with her, Froll was to make the tour of Germany with Dr. Ward and the boys. There were the pony, and the rabbits, and the canary bird, of all which Gretchen's children were to take the utmost care, until the dear _Fraulien_ and the young _Herr_ should come again. And many and loud were the expressions of affectionate regret at the children's departure, oddly intermingled with exclamations of delight at the appearance of numerous toys, which Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Hyde had decided must be left over from the packing.