"Well Ralph, old man," said the great traveller, lifting the boy to his shoulder, "and how are you this afternoon?" "Werry well," said Ralph, "nearly quite well," he added. "And how is our other invalid, Harriet Lane?" "She is better, father. Dear Harriet has been _awfu'_ bad. Did you guess, father, how bad she was?" "No, my son: and I don't think she was as bad as all that, for the doctor did not tell me so." "But she telled me her own self. She wouldn't tell a lie, would Harriet." "Only, Ralph, when people are ill, they imagine they are much worse than they really are. That was the case with Harriet. She will be all right now in a day or two, and you can enjoy yourself as soon as possible." "Oh yes; oh yes!" said Ralph. He clasped one arm round his father's neck. "Why has you got such a big brown neck?" "Because, I suppose, I am a big brown man." "I love brown men ever so," said Ralph. "That is right." "And I love you best of all; and--and Harriet, and Robina. I has got three very great special friends--you, and Harriet, and Robina." "Why do you put them like that, Ralph?" answered his father, a certain uneasiness in his tone. "You mean it this way: you love father first-- that is quite right--then comes Robina, then Harriet." "It used to be like that," said Ralph, in a very low tone. "And it is still, my son; it is still." Ralph fidgetted, and was silent. After a time he said: "Put me down please, father." Mr Durrant obeyed. "Take my hand, father," said Ralph, "I want to lead you somewhere." Mr Durrant took the little hand. Ralph conducted his father to the edge of the round pond. "Does you see the water over there?" said Ralph, "just over there where the lilies grow?" "Of course, my dear boy." "And does you see the branch of the willow tree?" "Well, yes, Ralph; having eyes, I see both the lilies and the willow tree." "Could you make a great, great guess, father, about how deep the water is there?" "Roughly speaking," said Mr Durrant, "I should say the water in that part was from seven to eight feet deep." Ralph straightened himself and looked full up at his father. "I isn't eight feet high, is I?" Mr Durrant laughed. "You little man," he said, "you are not four feet yet." "Then if I was to stand bolt upright in that water where the lilies grow, I'd be drownded dead as dead could be?" "Were such a thing to happen, you would be." "But if somebody swimmed out, somebody very, very brave, and clutched me, and brought me back to shore, I wouldn't be a drownded boy; I'd be a saved boy," said Ralph. "That is true." "I'd most likely," continued Ralph, "love that person very much." "It would be a brave thing to do, certainly," said Mr Durrant. "But then it has not happened, Ralph, so don't let your imagination run away with you."