,
but she could manage it now quite easily without asking Pansy to clap a
hand over it.

Soon she began to talk in little gasps:

"Oh, Pansy--I think--Oh, I'm nearly sure--yes--yes--it must be! it _is_
Uncle's ship! I can see the flags all a-flying--Hurrah! Come and look!"

[Illustration]

Pansy sat on her sister's knee and peeped through the glass. Then both
the children started up and waved their arms in the air at the far-off
ship. They were just about to rush off to tell Mother, when their cousin
Frank came up. He was a lad of about thirteen or fourteen, but he was so
tall and manly that he looked older.

Frank came into the garden with a rush and a run when he heard the girls
call out. A fishing basket was slung over his back, from which the tails
of fish stuck out, showing what good sport he had had.

"Hillo, Ara! Hillo, Pansy! What are you dancing and 'hoo-laying' about?
Been stung by a wasp, my little Pansy Blossom?"

"Oh, Frank," cried the elder girl, "look through the glass! Uncle's
coming! Look at the ship, and all the flags."

The boy was almost as excited now as the girls themselves, and presently
they were all running in a string through the pretty garden towards the
cottage with the news, Veevee bringing up the rear and barking bravely.

* * * * *

Rat-tat-tat at the door next afternoon, and little Pansy ran to open it,
expecting to see the postman, but the knocking was only a bit of Tom's
fun. Frank had left for Hull the evening before to meet him, and here was
Tom the sailor, tall and bonny and dark. Pansy jumped into his arms like
a baby, Aralia rushed to meet him, and his mother came out, though a
little more slowly. When the bustle was all over, and Tom had answered
nearly a hundred questions, they all went in to tea.

"Yes, Aralia, Uncle is coming up from Hull with Father and Cousin Frank,
and we shall stop here three whole days before we go back to clear ship
and pay off"

"And," added Tom, "Uncle has something so strange and nice to tell you!"

"What is it, Tom?" said his two sisters, both in a breath as it were.

"I can't, won't, and sha'n't tell you, girls," cried Tom, laughing,
"because that would spoil the fun when Uncle comes."

So all, even Veevee, who would not get off Tom's knees for a minute, had
to be as patient as they could. But the time passed so quickly, listening
to all this hearty young sailor had to tell of his voyage to the far
nor