There was no help for it, Sir Everard had to break off his discourse, and attend to the water, which was running all over the table, and the boy's laughter was so infectious that he joined heartily in it. "I give it up," he said to himself; "it's no use trying to make an impression on anything so volatile." "It served you quite right, father," said Humphrey, "for not letting me turn on the tap. You know quite well Miles and I always take turns to do it. Oh! I wish it would happen again!" And at the recollection, the merry laugh broke out once more. But the mention of the little prisoner up-stairs, recalled Sir Everard to a sense of his duty, for Miles was suffering for his brother's thoughtlessness. So he gave Humphrey a long lecture on leading his brother astray and threatened him with the continual espionage of Virginie in the garden if he had any more complaints of the kind. Humphrey sat looking very mournful while the discourse lasted, and was vehement in his promises that it should never happen again. "Till next time, I suppose," said the baronet, laughing; and then he gave him some bread and honey and took up the newspaper. He felt rather proud of the effect he had produced, for Humphrey ate his bread and honey in silence, and seemed very thoughtful. "Boys will not attend to the maids," he reflected; "there is nothing like the authority of a parent after all." In about five minutes, Humphrey's meditations came to a close. "Father!" "What, my boy," said Sir Everard, putting down the paper, in anticipation of some penitent speech, and mentally saying, "I did not mean him to take it so much to heart, poor child!" "If you had lived in the times of the Wars of the Roses, which side would you have taken?" Sir Everard was rather taken aback. In the first place, because it was rather a shock to his feelings to find, after all, how little impression he had made; and in the second, he was by no means so familiar with that part of history as to be able to give his opinion in a hurry. He would not, however, lower himself in the boy's estimation by allowing his ignorance. "Wars of the Roses," he repeated, to gain a little time for reflection; "have you been learning a great deal about them lately?" "Yes," said Humphrey, with a sigh; "Virginie seems _very_ fond of them. Is it true that unless I remember all the battles of the Wars of the Roses, I shall never be able to go into parliament?" "Does Virginie say so?" enquired Sir Everard. "Yes," said Humphrey. "She says, of course all the members of parliament know the names at the tips of their fingers and could say them in order; and which were won by Yorkists and which by Lancastrians." Sir Everard felt very thankful that he held his seat on less frail a tenure, and sincerely hoped his son was not going to put him to the test. Vain hope! "I suppose, of course, father, _you_ could say them right off?"