"I have enjoyed it more than you have," he answered. "It is a pleasure to talk to such eager little listeners. "Rest yourselves now, for you must be tired with all this tramping. I am going to the house to see your mother about some plans for to-morrow." "Do tell us, uncle," they all cried, but he only shook his head and laughed as he went away. "I shall simply _die_ of curiosity if I do not find out what uncle is planning," said Maria. "I don't see what good that would do," said Martim, "for you wouldn't be likely to either know about it or to do it if you were dead." Maria made a naughty little face at him, and a quarrel seemed imminent when Lola, who had gone to the house when her uncle did, came running toward them waving her hand wildly. "Oh! What do you think!" she cried as she ran up to them. "The loveliest thing has happened." "What?" cried all the children at once, but Lola was too out of breath to answer. "Uncle Hilario is certainly a darling!" she said at last. "He has prepared the loveliest treat for us! He says that to-morrow we all start for the Falls of Iguazu, and Maria, your father has come and--" but she had no chance to finish her sentence, for Martim shouted, "The Falls of Iguazu! Hurrah!" and ran off to the house, while Maria with a squeal of "Daddy!" pelted after him as fast as she could go. Lola and Affonzo looked at each other and laughed. "What's it all about, Lolita?" he asked and she answered, "Uncle Hilario told me that they had only been awaiting Uncle Juan's arrival to make the excursion to these wonderful falls and that we start to-morrow." "Where are the falls?" asked Affonzo. "Indeed, I don't know, but it is several days' journey and we can go only part of the way by train. We must take a boat and perhaps ride upon burros. It is far in the woods, and very few people go there." "Let us go and find out all about it," said Affonzo, and the two children hurried to the house as the rest of the party had done. There they found considerable excitement, every one asking a thousand questions which were not answered until the mothers placed their fingers in their ears and demanded silence. Maria was seated upon her father's knees, her usually sober little face bright with happiness, as she whispered to Lola, "He is going to Para with us, to stay all winter, so I can be with him and have you too!" Lola gave her hand a loving squeeze, but said nothing, for Uncle Hilario began to speak.