n I was born, and treating me
as a baby ever since. In fact she had grown into an institution at
home, moving when we moved, and doing pretty well as she liked in what
she called "our house."

"Bang!"

"Bless the boy! don't bang the table like that," she cried. "How you
made me jump!"

"It's of no use talking, nurse," I cried; "I mean to go."

"Go!" she said. "Go where?"

"Go and find my poor dear father," I cried. "Why, nurse, am I to sit
down quietly at home here, when perhaps my poor father is waiting for me
to come to his help?"

"Oh, hush! my dearie; don't talk like that I'm afraid he's dead and
gone."

"He isn't, nurse," I cried fiercely. "He's a prisoner somewhere among
those New Guinea savages, and I mean to find him and bring him back."

Nurse Brown thrust her needle into the big round ball of worsted, and
held it up as if for me to see. Then she took off her glasses with the
left hand in the stocking, and shaking her head she exclaimed:

"Oh, you bad boy; wasn't it enough for your father to go mad after his
botaniky, and want to go collecting furren buttercups and daisies, to
break your mother's heart, that you must ketch his complaint and want to
go too?"

"My father isn't mad," I said.

"Your father _was_ mad," retorted Nurse Brown, "and I was surprised at
him. What did he ever get by going wandering about collecting his dry
orchardses and rubbish, and sending of 'em to England?"

"Fame," I cried, "and honour."

"Fame and honour never bought potatoes," said nurse.

"Why, four different plants were named after him."

"Oh, stuff and rubbish, boy! What's the good of that when a man gets
lost and starves to death in the furren wilds!"

"My father was too clever a man to get lost or to starve in the wilds,"
I said proudly. "The savages have made him a prisoner, and I'm going to
find him and bring him back."

"Ah! you've gone wandering about with that dirty black till you've quite
got into his ways."

"Jimmy isn't dirty," I said; "and he can't help being black any more
than you can being white."

"I wonder at a well-brought-up young gent like you bemeaning yourself to
associate with such a low creature, Master Joseph."

"Jimmy's a native gentleman, nurse," I said.

"Gentleman, indeed!" cried the old lady, "as goes about without a bit of
decent clothes to his back."

"So did Adam, nursey," I said laughing.

"Master Joseph, I won't sit here and listen to you if you talk like