fidence with the fire, and then he said, folding his arms across my
esteemed friend's lap, and raising his bright face to hers. "Would you
like to hear a boy's story, Gran?"

"Of all things," replied my esteemed friend.

"Would you, godfather?"

"Of all things," I too replied.

"Well, then," said Jemmy, "I'll tell you one."

Here our indisputably remarkable boy gave himself a hug, and laughed
again, musically, at the idea of his coming out in that new line. Then
he once more took the fire into the same sort of confidence as before,
and began:

"Once upon a time, When pigs drank wine, And monkeys chewed tobaccer,
'Twas neither in your time nor mine, But that's no macker--"

"Bless the child!" cried my esteemed friend, "what's amiss with his
brain?"

"It's poetry, Gran," returned Jemmy, shouting with laughter. "We always
begin stories that way at school."

"Gave me quite a turn, Major," said my esteemed friend, fanning herself
with a plate. "Thought he was light-headed!"

"In those remarkable times, Gran and godfather, there was once a boy,--not
me, you know."

"No, no," says my respected friend, "not you. Not him, Major, you
understand?"

"No, no," says I.

"And he went to school in Rutlandshire--"

"Why not Lincolnshire?" says my respected friend.

"Why not, you dear old Gran? Because _I_ go to school in Lincolnshire,
don't I?"

"Ah, to be sure!" says my respected friend. "And it's not Jemmy, you
understand, Major?"

"No, no," says I.

"Well!" our boy proceeded, hugging himself comfortably, and laughing
merrily (again in confidence with the fire), before he again looked up in
Mrs. Lirriper's face, "and so he was tremendously in love with his
schoolmaster's daughter, and she was the most beautiful creature that
ever was seen, and she had brown eyes, and she had brown hair all curling
beautifully, and she had a delicious voice, and she was delicious
altogether, and her name was Seraphina."

"What's the name of _your_ schoolmaster's daughter, Jemmy?" asks my
respected friend.

"Polly!" replied Jemmy, pointing his forefinger at her. "There now!
Caught you! Ha, ha, ha!"

When he and my respected friend had had a laugh and a hug together, our
admittedly remarkable boy resumed with a great relish:

"Well! And so he loved her. And so he thought about her, and dreamed
about her, and made her presents of oranges and nuts, and would have made
her presents of pearls and diamonds if he could