avid and
Matilda. Laughing and shouting and discussing, the original game was
almost lost sight of; and David sat with his pen in his hand, and
Matilda listened in wondering amusement, while the negative and the
affirmative of the proposition were urged and argued and fought for. At
last Norton appealed.

"What do you think, David?"

"What do you think of our game?"

"I had forgot it, that's a fact," said Norton. "Who's next? O come
along, we'll never settle that question. Who's next? Pink, I believe it
is you. Matilda Laval! what's your capital and business?"

"Now you'll get a queer one," said Judy.

"It won't be the first, by some," said Norton; "that's one thing."

"This'll be a good one. Oh, ever so good!" said Judy.

"It won't be anything, if you can't hush," said Norton impatiently.
"Come, Pink, whatever it is, let us have it. What's your fancy?"

"I should like to have a medicine that would be sure to cure," said
Matilda.

"A medicine!" cried Norton.

"She'd be a doctor," exclaimed Judy with a burst of laughter.

"What for, Pink?"

"I would go round, making sick people well."

"Beautiful, ain't it?" said Judy. "O we have such lots of goodness in
our house, you wouldn't know it; and I don't know it my self. Fact is,
it confuses me."

"Bill Langridge?"

"Governor of the State,"--called out Bill in reply.

"Why don't you say 'Sultan of Muscat,' at once?"

"Don't know Muscat--and don't care about governing where I'm a
stranger. Might make mistakes, you see."

"Well--what's the good in being Governor of the State?--to you?"

"Having things my own way, don't you see? and at top of everything."

"There's the President, and all his secretaries," said Norton.

"They're not in my way. In the State, you know, nobody is over the
Governor."

"That's what you call a moderate ambition," said David.

"Aims pretty high," said Bill.

"Not high enough," said another boy. "I'd choose to be commander in
chief of the army."

"How's that any higher, Watson?" said Bill.

"Military rule," said Watson. "Your Governor has to consult this one
and 'tother one, and go by the Legislature too, when all's done; the
commander in chief asks leave of nobody."

"Well, Elisha Peters, what's _your_ ambition?" called out Norton.

"I'd like a little money,--enough, you know, not too much; and to go
travelling all over the world on foot."

"On foot!" said Norton. "What would you get out of that?"

"I should see e