tmost I can give him."

"What nonsense you do talk, Will!" his wife said, laughing. "I am
sure Master Repton must think you out of your mind."

"It is a very jolly way of being out of his mind, Mrs. Medlin. You
don't know how pleased I am."

"He thought I was an ogre, my dear, and that you were an ogress.

"Now let the banquet be served; for I am hungry, and I expect Bob
is, too. As for the children, they are always hungry--at least, it
seems so."

It was a merry meal, and Bob thought he had never enjoyed one as
much, except at his sister's. After tea they had music; and he
found that Mr. Medlin performed admirably on the violin, his wife
played the spinet, Jack the clarionet, and Sophy--the eldest
girl--the piccolo.

"She is going to learn the harp, presently," Mr. Medlin explained;
"but for the present, when we have no visitors--and I don't count
you one, after this evening--she plays the piccolo. She is a little
shy about it, but shyness is the failing of my family."

"It is very jolly," Bob said. "I wish I could play an instrument."

"We will see about it, in time, Bob. We want a French horn; but I
don't see, at present, where you are to practise."

"Has uncle ever been here?" Bob asked, late in the evening.

"Yes, he came here the evening we got back from our fishing
expedition. He wanted to see the place, before he finally settled
about you coming here. My wife was a little afraid of him; but
there was no occasion, and everything went off capitally--except
that Sophy would not produce her piccolo. I walked back with him,
till he came upon a hackney coach.

"He said as he got in, 'I have spent a most pleasant evening,
Medlin. You are a very lucky fellow.'

"I went back to work the next morning, and we both dropt into the
old groove; and nothing more was said until yesterday, when he
informed me that you would come, today."

"Oh, dear!" Bob said, as he started with the clerk, at eight
o'clock on the following morning. "Now I am going to begin at that
wretched counting house."

"No, you are not, Bob. You are not coming in there, at present.
When your uncle and I were talking--when we were fishing, you
know--he said that he saw no use in your going in there, at
present; and thought it would be quite time for you to learn how
the books are kept, in another three or four years; and that, till
then, you could go into the cellar. You will learn bottling, and
packing, and blending, and something about th