Borneo
and New Guinea, wherever I am likely to collect specimens and find new
varieties."

"Do you collect, sir?" I said excitedly.

"To be sure I do, my boy. Do you?" he added with a smile.

"Yes, sir, all I can."

"Oh yes! he has quite a wonderful collection down in the tool-house,
Richard. Come and see."

Our visitor smiled in such a contemptuous way that I coloured up again,
and felt as if I should have liked to cry, "You sha'n't see them to make
fun of my work." But by that time we were at the tool-house door, and
just inside was my cabinet full of drawers that uncle had let the
carpenter make for me, and my cases and boxes, and the birds I had
stuffed. In fact by that time, after a couple of years collecting, the
tools had been ousted to hang in another shed, and the tool-house was
pretty well taken up with my lumber.

"Why, hallo!" cried our visitor; "who stuffed those birds?"

I answered modestly enough that it was I.

"And what's in these drawers, eh?" he said, pulling them out sharply one
after the other, and then opening my cases.

"Nat's collections," said my uncle very proudly. "Here's his
catalogue."

"Neatly written out--numbered--Latin names," he said, half to himself.
"Why, hallo, young fellow, I don't wonder that your Aunt Sophia says you
are a bad character."

"But he isn't, Dick," said Uncle Joe warmly; "he's a very good lad, and
Sophy don't mean what she says."

"She used to tell me I should come to no good in the old days when I
began to make a mess at home, Joe," he said merrily. "Why, Nat, my boy,
you and I must be good friends. You would like to come and see my
collection, eh?"

"Will you--will you show it to me, sir?" I said, catching him in my
excitement by the sleeve.

"Well, I don't know," he said drily; "you looked daggers at me because I
kicked your aunt's pet."

"I couldn't help it, sir," I said; "Nap has always been such good
friends with me that I didn't like to see him hurt."

"Then I beg Nap's pardon," he said smiling. "I thought he was only a
useless pet; but if he can be a good friend to you he is a better dog
than I thought for."

"He'd be a splendid dog to hunt with, sir, if he had a chance."

"Would he? Well, I'm glad of it, and you shall come and see my
collection, and help me catalogue and arrange them if you like. Here,
hi! stop a minute: where are you going?"

"Only to fetch my cap, sir," I said excitedly, for the idea of seeing
the col