"Wait a minute," breathed Miles, "he'll say how we miss you, when he's done thinking; often, when he's thinking, he doesn't answer me till he's quite done what he's thinking about." With the tears still standing in them, the eyes suddenly sparkled with a new feeling, and Humphrey sprang to the window, exclaiming,-- "A hawk! I do declare; and he'll have the sparrow in a minute!" Sir Everard looked disappointed, and drew Miles closer to him. "He's not thinking about us, is he, darling?" "Eh!" exclaimed Humphrey, starting, "were you speaking to me? What did you say, Miles?" "It was about the glass, Humphie; I said we should like so much to see what Fardie is doing in London sometimes." "Oh, wouldn't it be fun!" said Humphrey, seating himself by his brother; "sometimes we should see him in his club, and sometimes in a Hansom cab, and sometimes we should see you making a speech in the House of Parliament, shouldn't we, father, with your arm out, and a great sheet all round you, like the statue of Mr. Pitt down-stairs?" Sir Everard laughed. "Not very often," I think. "How should we see you, Fardie?" "I'm afraid, if you looked late in the evening, you would often see me _so_," he answered, folding his arms, and shutting his eyes. "What, asleep!" exclaimed the children. "Fast asleep," returned their father. "Isn't the Queen very angry with you?" inquired Miles. "The Queen is generally asleep herself at such hours." "What! in the House of Parliament?" "No; but in one or other of her palaces." "But she isn't always asleep at night," said Humphrey, in a superior tone; "sometimes she sits up very late, and has a ball. I know a picture of her giving a ball, in the old book of prints down-stairs." The volume in question bore the date of 1710, and the engraving represented the court of Queen Anne, but it was all the same to Humphrey. "Do you ever go to the Queen's ball Fardie?" inquired Miles. "Yes, dear, I have been, but not for a long time." "Father's too old for balls now," observed Humphrey. "Ain't you, father?" "My dancing days are over, yes," said Sir Everard, absently. He was thinking how lovely his wife had looked at the last court ball he had been to. "Do they dance 'Up the middle and down again,' Fardie?" "No," answered Sir Everard, smiling, "quadrilles and valses mostly." "I suppose when you were young and went to balls, they used to dance the minuet?" said Humphrey. "Used you to wear a pig-tail, father?" "Upon my word!" said Sir Everard, "why, how old do you think I am?" The children had no idea, and amused themselves for the next ten minutes by trying to guess, their conjectures varying between sixty and ninety. "Will you come for a run, father?" said Humphrey, presently. "It's a little hot for running, isn't it?" answered Sir Everard; "but if you are tired of being indoors, you can go in the garden, and I will join you in about an hour."