"Well, I wish, then, you would understand what _I_ mean, without my saying any more about it," said Grace. "O, to be sure I will!" said our hero, looking up with a very intelligent air; and so, as Aunt Sally would say, the matter was settled, with "no words about it." Now shall we narrate how our hero, as he saw Uncle Lot approaching the door, had the impudence to take out his flute, and put the parts together, arranging and adjusting the stops with great composure? "Uncle Lot," said he, looking up, "this is the best flute that ever I saw." "I hate them tooting critturs," said Uncle Lot, snappishly. "I declare! I wonder how you can," said James, "for I do think they exceed----" So saying, he put the flute to his mouth, and ran up and down a long flourish. "There! what do you think of that?" said he, looking in Uncle Lot's face with much delight. Uncle Lot turned and marched into the house, but soon faced to the right-about, and came out again, for James was fingering "Yankee Doodle"--that appropriate national air for the descendants of the Puritans. Uncle Lot's patriotism began to bestir itself; and now, if it had been any thing, as he said, but "that 'are flute"--as it was, he looked more than once at James's fingers. "How under the sun _could_ you learn to do that?" said he. "O, it's easy enough," said James, proceeding with another tune; and, having played it through, he stopped a moment to examine the joints of his flute, and in the mean time addressed Uncle Lot: "You can't think how grand this is for pitching tunes--I always pitch the tunes on Sunday with it." "Yes; but I don't think it's a right and fit instrument for the Lord's house," said Uncle Lot. "Why not? It is only a kind of a long pitchpipe, you see," said James; "and, seeing the old one is broken, and this will answer, I don't see why it is not better than nothing." "Why, yes, it may be better than nothing," said Uncle Lot; "but, as I always tell Grace and my wife, it ain't the right kind of instrument, after all; it ain't solemn." "Solemn!" said James; "that is according as you work it: see here, now." So saying, he struck up Old Hundred, and proceeded through it with great perseverance. "There, now!" said he. "Well, well, I don't know but it is," said Uncle Lot; "but, as I said at first, I don't like the look of it in meetin'." "But yet you really think it is better than nothing," said James, "for you see I couldn't pitch my tunes without it." "Maybe 'tis," said Uncle Lot; "but that isn't sayin' much." This, however, was enough for Master James, who soon after departed, with his flute in his pocket, and Grace's last words in his heart; soliloquizing as he shut the gate, "There, now, I hope Aunt Sally won't go to praising me; for, just so sure as she does, I shall have it all to do over again."