ith a hand on each knee and his eyes fixed intently on Flora
Macdonald--to the surprise and secret joy of his mother, who, being thus
relieved from anxiety on his account, had leisure to transfer the agony
of her attention to the boat.

"What do _you_ know about her, child?" asked Flora.

"She's jolly," replied the boy with prompt vivacity.

"Most genuine testimony in her favour," laughed Hector, "though the word
is scarcely appropriate to one whose temper is sour."

"Why do you think her jolly, my boy?" said Flora.

"'Cause I do. She's a old brick!"

"Jacky, darling," said Mrs Sudberry, "do try to give up those ugly
slang words--they're _so_ naughty--that is to say--at least--they are
very ugly if they're not positively naughty."

"She's a jolly old brick," retorted Jacky, with a look at his mother
that was the concentrated essence of defiance.

"Dear child!"

Lucy snickered and coughed somewhat violently into her handkerchief;
while Flora, repressing a smile, said--

"But why does Jacky like old Moggy so much?"

"Hallo! don't run us ashore," shouted Mr Sudberry, starting up with a
sudden impetuosity which shook the boat and sent a pang to the heart of
his wife, the sharpness of which no words can convey. A piercing
shriek, however, betrayed the state of her feelings as the boat was
swept violently round by George to avoid a point of rock. As they were
now drawing near to the spot where it was proposed that they should
picnic, Jacky suddenly became alive to the fact that in his interest
about old Moggy he had been betrayed into a forgetfulness of his
opportunities. No time was to be lost. Turning round with a cheer, he
made a desperate plunge at the water and went much farther over than he
had intended, insomuch that he would certainly have taken a "header"
into its depths, had not McAllister grasped him by the baggy region of
his trousers and gravely lifted him into his mother's lap. Next moment
the boat's keel grated sharply on the gravel, to the horror of Mrs
Sudberry, who, having buried her face in the bosom of her saved son, saw
not what had occurred, and regarded the shock as her death-warrant.

Thus agreeably the picnic continued!

STORY ONE, CHAPTER 7.

THE PICNIC CONCLUDED.

What a glorious day it was, and what spirits it put everybody in! The
sun shone with an intensity almost torrid; the spot on which they had
landed was green and bright, like a slice out of the realms of
Fairy-