her in the world, and too impatient of
blunders. Yet, I don't think I could be a very hard master to _you_" I
added, lowering my voice to a whisper.

"Couldn't you?" she said. "I don't know about that, Master Frank! I
well remember a particular evening, and my birthday party; and how a
certain gentleman--whom I won't name--behaved then and since."

"Oh! Haven't you forgiven me yet, Min?" I exclaimed. "I thought--"

"Don't mind about that," she said, hurriedly.--"Go on with what you were
telling me concerning German; the others will hear you! Do you think
the language soft?"

"I can't say exactly that it _is_ as soft as our own," I proceeded to
say, for the benefit of Miss Spight, who appeared to be listening to our
conversation.--"But, a good many people, who call the Teuton tongue
uncouth, seem to forget its close resemblance both in style and
expression, to English. Either language can be rendered in the
vernacular of the other, without losing its force or even sound; and
that is more than can be said for French or Italian. Shakspeare, for
instance, in German, is almost equally as telling and forcible as
Shakspeare in English; while, in French--Bah! you should just hear it as
_once_ I heard it, and you would laugh! Indeed, if we are strictly
logical on the point of the euphony of language, the Italian dialect,
which we deem so soft and liquid, sounds quite harsh, I'm told, in
comparison with the labial syllables that the Polynesian islanders use
in the South Seas."

We then relapsed into silence again, Min still leaning over the side of
the boat and dipping her fingers in the limpid, silvery water, which
sparkled with gem-like coruscations of light as she stirred it to and
fro.

At Mortlake she splashed a shower of sprinkling pearls over an irate
swan pater-familias, who had hurried out from the alders, to see what
business we meant by coming at that time of night so near the domain of
Mrs Swan and her cygnet progeny. We were both much amused at the
fierce air with which he advanced, as if to eat us all up; and then, his
precipitate retreat, on getting wetted so unceremoniously. He turned
tail at once; and, propelling himself away with vigorous strokes of his
webbed sculls, made the water foam from his prow-like curving neck,
leaving a broad wake behind him of glistening sheen.

"What a nice day we have had," said Min, presently. "All has gone off
so well, without a hitch. We have had such a nice