came to watch the French ports, and then
I found it had turned into the Arctic Circle, so I went after the
North-west Passage instead. I wanted to be like one of those brave
men.'

'Did you, though? And what particular heroes do you want to imitate?'

'I want to be a brave sailor,' said Godfrey promptly, 'like Lord
Nelson, and Admiral Collingwood, and most of all Kiah Parker's Captain
Maitland.'

'And why "most of all"? I hope you'll be a braver man and a finer
fellow than that, young man.'

Godfrey's head only reached about as high as the gentleman's elbow, but
he looked at him with as much scorn as if he had been a head taller.

'You don't understand a bit about it,' he said; 'nobody could be a
finer fellow than the captain if he tried all his life long. P'r'aps
you don't know about him carrying the little cabin-boy below with the
French bullets flying all round; you'd better get Kiah to tell you, and
then you'll be sorry you've been so stupid.'

'Oh well, we won't quarrel about such an unimportant person. What
house in Oakfield do you live in?'

'At Oakfield Cottage,' said Godfrey, still a little distrustful of a
man who called Captain Maitland an unimportant person.

'Oh, I remember going to Oakfield Cottage when I was a little boy. And
whom do you live with?'

'With my two maiden aunts,' said Godfrey.

'They're so good!' put in Nancy, who liked to have her word in the
conversation.

'I've no doubt they are. Now I haven't got any aunts at all that I
know of, married or single. We'd better not tell these good ladies how
nearly their nephew was at the bottom of the pond or we shall frighten
them out of their wits, I'm afraid.'

'Oh, but I must,' said Godfrey, gravely, 'because they told me not to
come, and I did, and Aunt Angel's going to whip me.'

'Ah, well, of course we must tell the truth then, and perhaps if I beg
for you I might get her to let you off the whipping.'

Godfrey shook his head.

'Aunt Angel always does what she says,' he remarked.

'Well, she's quite right there,' said his new friend, though to himself
he thought,

'Poor little chap, he's small for flogging. I wonder if the old lady's
hand is heavy.'

Then he asked aloud,

'What made you come Arctic exploring if you knew the whipping was to
follow?'

'I didn't like my sum,' confessed Godfrey, 'and I did want to be like
those brave men.'

'Ah,' said the stranger thoughtfully, 'do you know, little chap, you've
be