e,
though,' he added, gazing open-eyed at the stranger called 'George,' and
trying to get between him and the fender.

'What did you do with the match?' demanded George, curtly.

'Chucked it away!' came the reply, with equal brevity.

The grown-ups exchanged significant glances.

'Why did you lock yourselves up here?' asked Lilian, laying gentle hands
on her small brother's shoulders, and turning him round on the hearthrug
to face her.

It was seldom that Jack resisted Lilian, and he did not do so now,
though he wriggled, and cast a nervous glance over his shoulder.

'I--I----,' he began hesitatingly, when a loud laugh from George
interrupted him.

'By Jove! here's a funny little image, Lilian! A sailor too, by all
that's curious! Not _me_, eh?' he roared good-temperedly, as he fished
the blue-bedaubed figure out of the fender, and, holding it at arm's
length, surveyed it by the now cheerful blaze of the fire.

Jack wriggled himself free from his elder sister's grasp, and faced
round.

'Are you Captain Halliard?'

'Certainly, young man.'

'Then I'm sorry I made _that_.'

'Why! it _is_ I, then? What should you be sorry for?' he asked,
bewildered; 'it's not at all bad, for a young 'un--bar likeness, I hope!
Never mind, though, if you don't want to tell me,' he added,
good-naturedly, sorry for the boy's evident embarrassment.

But Jack continued: 'It _is_ you--and I made it of wax, so that it
should melt, and you should get ill, and---- '

'Oh! you wicked boy!' exclaimed Lilian, aghast; 'what harm had George
done you?'

'He wanted to take you away,' explained Jack sullenly, 'and I don't want
him to. But I tell you I am sorry now about the image.'

'Why?' demanded Captain Halliard.

'You are a brave man. You pulled those curtains down. _I_ couldn't have
done that! I don't care if you _do_ marry my sister now.'

'Hooray!' shouted Gussie, capering wildly about; 'and _now_ you'll let
me be a bridesmaid, won't you, Jack? I didn't--oh, I didn't want that
nasty wax image to melt all away!'

And so Jack learnt that magic is not only silly, but wrong, and found
that Captain Halliard was after all not so terrible as to need a wizard
to drive him away.

PUZZLERS FOR WISE HEADS.

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE 371.

13.--(A.) Orphan-age.
(B.) Book-worm.
(C.) Brim-stone.
(D.) Hare-bell.
(E.) Dove-tail.
(F.) Some-body.

AVERAGE.

In old French, 'aver' me