afternoon of the third day that Ned found
a grand reception prepared for him in the parlor of the Paez mansion.

"Father!" he shouted, as he hurried in, after Felicia, at the door, had
warned him of what was before him. "Hurrah! Here I am!"

What happened or was said next, he did not know until he felt himself
somewhat roughly shaken by somebody, and was forced to exclaim:

"Hullo, Captain Kemp! Are you here, too? I declare!"

"Here I am," said the captain, "and I'm going to take you and your
father back to New York on the ship that brought us. You have been in
Mexico long enough."

Ned did not so much as have time to hurrah again before Senora Tassara
came forward to say to him:

"That is not all, Senor Carfora. For the sake of my husband's health,
and for other reasons, he and I and Felicia and Senora Paez are
intending to spend our next winter in the United States. We have
accepted your father's invitation to be passengers with you. What do you
think of that?"

Ned could hardly say what he thought, but he tried to, and perhaps his
best effort was made when he said to Felicia:

"Isn't it tip-top! I'll show you all over the city,--but I'm afraid you
will get awfully seasick on the way. I did at first."

"She will have to run the risk of that," laughed her mother, but after
Ned's long conference with his father was ended, she and Ned spent the
rest of the evening in a discussion of the sights which were to be seen
in the great city of the Americans.

"There would be no use in your remaining here now," Mr. Crawford had
said to Ned. "My business with the army will run right along for a time,
but nothing else can be done until all things are quiet and settled.
Then we may try and find out what good your Mexican experience has done
you."

Mr. Crawford went away at a late hour, but Ned was out of the house
early enough the next morning. He had a strong notion in his head, and
it led him to the grand plaza, to stand in front of the government
building which had been the headquarters of so many different kinds of
governments of Mexico. It was really a fine and costly affair, but the
Mexican national banner was no longer floating from its tall flagstaff.
Instead of it was a broad and beautiful Stars and Stripes, and it had
never before appeared to Ned so very beautiful.

He was gazing up at that evidence that the city was in the hands of
General Scott and his army, when a voice that he knew hailed him with:

"H