of the river, the pretty little low-
arched bridge that spans it in front of Richmond came in sight; seeing
which, the children raised such a shout of joy in the bows of the
gondola, that our conversation shunted into a fresh channel, while our
teamster, urging his horse by a multitude of "gee wo's," into a brisk
trot, tightened our tow-rope and led us up in fine style to our goal.

A short distance from the landing-place under the bridge, we found the
detachments that had gone by road, awaiting us. Joining company, we
proceeded together to the park, and set about our picnic in the usual
harum-scarum fashion, chasing truant children, losing one another,
finding one another, making merry over the most dire mishaps, and
enjoying the whole thing hugely--elders, juveniles, and all--from
beginning to end.

The vicar made a perfect boy of himself. With a charming gleefulness,
he did the most outrageous things--at which Master Adolphus, aetat
twelve, would have turned up his nose, as being much beneath his years
and dignity. He said he did it only to amuse the children; but, he took
such an active part in the games he instituted, that we declared that he
joined in them for his own personal gratification.

Monsieur Parole d'Honneur, too, who was the gayest of the gay, specially
distinguished himself for his vaulting powers in a sport which he
entitled in his broken English manner "ze leap of ze frog;" and, as for
grave Doctor Batson, whom we all thought so formal and dignified in his
professional tether, why, the way in which he "stuck in his twopenny,"
as the boys said, and "gave a `back,'" was a caution to the lookers-on!

Then we had a substantial "soldier's tea" in and around a little cottage
conveniently-situated close to the park:--there, we boiled our kettles,
and brewed great jorums of straw-coloured water, at the sight of which a
Chinaman would have been filled with horror, impregnated as it was with
the taste of new tin and the flavour of moist brown sugar and milk. The
children enjoyed it, however, in conjunction with clothes baskets full
of sliced bread-and-butter, and buns and cake galore:-- so, our main
consideration was satisfied.

The whole thing passed off well, the only mishap, throughout the day,
arising from Horner having filled Miss Spight's galoshes with hot tea;
but, as she did not happen to be wearing them at the time, the accident
was not of much consequence, although she soundly rated the youn