ppose, Henry, it would hardly be safe to send Grace, on
account of her cough."

"I'm so sorry you asked Dr. De Bruler a word about it, mamma; but I
suppose I must submit," said Grace, with a face as cloudy as Horace's.

"Horace, my son, do you really feel equal to the task of taking this
tuft of feathers to New York?"

"I don't know why not, father; I'm willing to try."

"Horace has good courage," said Grace, shaking her auburn curls like so
many exclamation points. "I never could! I never would! I'd as soon have
the care of a flying squirrel!"

"Hollis never called me a _squirl_," said Fly, demurely. "I've got two
brothers, and one of 'em is an angel, and the other isn't; but Hollis
is _'most_ as good as the one up in the sky."

"Well, my son," remarked Mr. Clifford, after a pause, "if your mother
gives her consent, I suppose I shall give mine; but it does not look
clear to me yet. One thing is certain, Horace; if you do undertake this
journey, you must live on the watch: you must sleep with both eyes open.
Don't trust the child out of your sight--not for a moment. Don't even
let go her hand on the street."

"I do believe Horace will be as careful as either you or I, Henry, or I
certainly wouldn't trust him with our last little darling," said Mrs.
Clifford.

His mother's words dropped like balm upon Horace's wounded spirit. He
looked up, and felt himself a man again.

CHAPTER II.

THE UNDERTAKING.

When Flyaway knew she was going to New York, it was about as easy to fit
her dresses as to clothe a buzzing blue-bottle fly. With spinning head
and dancing feet, she was set down, at last, in the cars.

"Here we are, all by ourselves, darling, starting off for Gotham. Wave
your handkerchief to mamma. Don't you see her kissing her hand? There,
you needn't spring out of the window! And I declare, Brown-brimmer, if
you haven't thrown away your handkerchief! Here, cry into mine!"

"I didn't want to cry, Hollis; I wanted to laugh," said the child,
wiping her eyes with her doll's cloak. "When you ride in carriages, you
don't get anywhere; but when you ride in the cars, you get there right
off."

"Yes; that's so, my dear. You are in the right of it, as you always are.
Now I am going to turn the seat over, and sit where I can look at
you--just so."

"O, that's just as splendid, Hollis! Now there's only me and Flipperty.
There, I put her 'pellent cloak on wrong; but see, now, I've
un-_wrong-side-outed_ it!