ainly," said the Doctor, "so long as they don't get into mischief.
But do they work well?"

"What do you say, Mr Deane?" said the baronet.

"Admirably," replied the tutor; "but I must say that I should like them
to have a couple of hours' more study a day--say a couple of hours in
the afternoon."

"No," said the Doctor emphatically. "You work them well with their
English and classics and calculations every morning: let them have some
of Nature's teaching of an afternoon, and strengthen their bodies after
you've done strengthening their heads."

"I side with you, Burnet," said the baronet. "Let them go on as they
are for a year or two, and then we'll see."

The tutor bowed. "I only thought I was not doing enough for them," he
said apologetically.

"Plenty, my dear sir--plenty. I like to see them bringing home plenty
of litter, as the servants call it."

"Yes," said the Doctor, "all's education. I see Lady Ladelle fidgets
about her boy, just as my wife does. They'll be all right. They can't
go very far from home."

"But I always dread some accident," said Mrs Burnet.

"Yes, my dear, you are always inventing something, and have been ever
since Vince broke his leg."

"Through going into dangerous places," said Mrs Burnet.

"Well, yes, that was from a cliff fall; but he might have done it from
tumbling off a wall or over a chair."

Just when this conversation was taking place the boys were slowly
trudging home from their "retreat," as they called it--coming by a
circuitous way, for the fact was very evident that old Daygo did spend a
good deal of time in watching the boys' proceedings, and Vince was
strongly of opinion that he suspected their discovery.

But Mike was as fully convinced to the contrary.

"He has no idea of it, I'm sure; but he is curious to know where we go.
The old chap always talks as if the island belonged to him. He'd better
not interfere with it if he does find out; but, I say, fancy old Daygo
scrambling down through that passage. I should like to see him."

"I shouldn't," said Vince, "especially after all we've done."

For a month had glided away, and they had been pretty busy, during their
many visits to the place, carrying all kinds of little things which they
considered they wanted, with the result that the lanthorn and a supply
of candles always stood in a niche a short distance down the passage;
short ropes were fastened wherever there was one of the sharp or sloping
de