"Oh!" said Humphrey, drawing a long breath, as he descended from those heights of wonder to the trifling details of everyday life, recalled by the mention of Virginie, "how delicious it has been! I hope, father, you will let me be a sailor when I grow up?" "Well, I don't think that will exactly be your vocation," answered Sir Everard; "but there is plenty of time before you." "Me, too," said little Miles; "I want to be a sailor too." "You, my darling," said Sir Everard, fondly; "no, not you; I couldn't spare you my sweet little fellow." And he stooped, as he spoke, to kiss the little face that was uplifted so pleadingly to his, the lips that were always so ready to respond to his caresses. Humphrey had turned away his head, and was gazing intently at his ears of corn. "Is he jealous, I wonder?" thought Uncle Charlie, peering at the little face under the straw hat, and wondering whether it was a tear he saw shining among the long dark eyelashes. But before he could make up his mind if it were so, the child's eyes were sparkling with excitement over a curious creature with a thousand legs, which had crawled out of the corn in his hand. "And now jump up, boys, and come home." Sir Everard, as he spoke, picked up his cane, and taking his brother-in-law's arm, walked slowly on. "We shall have all these feats reproduced, Charlie, of that I am quite sure. Virginie has a nice time before her." There was very little tea eaten that evening, the children were in such a hurry to get down again to the delectable anecdotes. But Sir Everard took alarm at Miles's flushed cheeks and bright eyes, and would allow no more exciting stories so close upon bed-time. "Will you finish about the crocodile to-morrow?" asked Humphrey, creeping up his uncle's leg, as he came to wish him good-night. "To-morrow I go, my boy," he answered. "Going to-morrow!" said Humphrey. "What a very short visit!" "What a very short visit!" echoed Miles, who always thought it incumbent on him to say the same thing as his brother. "I will pay you a longer visit next time," said Uncle Charlie, as he kissed the two little faces. "But when will next time be?" persisted Humphrey. "Yes! when will next time be?" repeated Miles. "Ah! when indeed?" said Uncle Charlie. CHAPTER III. "I have got so many plans in my head, that I think I shall burst," said Humphrey to Miles the next morning, as they stood on the door-steps, watching the dog-cart vanishing in the distance, on its way to the station, with their father and uncle. "Some of the things Uncle Charlie was telling us about would be quite easy for us to do. You wouldn't be afraid, I suppose, to climb up the big tree overhanging the pond where the water-lilies are?" "No," said Miles, rather doubtfully, "not if you went on first and gave me your hand: but that tree is a long way off--wouldn't one of the trees in the orchard do?"