s
beyond. A quick, sharp conflict, and I came off defeated.

Hastily turning my back upon the harbour-bar, I ran to the head of the
Cove without disturbing Frisk, who was so taken up with his newly found
amusement, that he did not miss me; took up the kite and sped off to the
meadow, which lay between the Cove and the lodge, where I was joined by
the dog, two or three minutes after, panting and breathless at my having
stolen a march upon him.

George, too, came a minute later from the other side into the meadow,
which, although out of sight of the Cove, owing to the rise of the
ground, was as good a place to wait in as any, since Aleck would have to
pass through it on his way from the house.

Ralph appeared also, and through our united efforts, and to our united
satisfaction, my new kite was soon soaring higher than any kite ever
seen before by any member of our little party; great was my excitement
in holding the string and letting it out, or taking it in as I ran from
one part to another, Frisk the while dashing about wildly, and barking
as though at some strange bird of which he entertained suspicions.

Old George looked as pleased as if he had been a boy of six, rather than
a man of sixty, and Ralph rushed recklessly here and there and
everywhere, with his head thrown back and his eyes rivetted upon the
soaring kite, until, like Genius in the fable, he was suddenly prostrate
through stumbling over an unnoticed stump.

"See what comes of not looking where you're going," moralized George, as
he picked him up and gave him a general shaking by way of seeing that
nothing had come loose in his tumble; a sentiment from which it is
possible the youngster might have derived more profit, had not his
elderly relative experienced a similar mishap almost immediately
afterwards.

I was the only heavy-hearted one of the trio; and even I forgot my cares
and anxieties in the glorious excitement of holding in the kite, which
tugged and tugged at the string as if it would carry me up to the
skies, rather than give in.

"I wonder what's kept Master Aleck such a time?" said old George, after
we had spent nearly three-quarters of an hour kite-flying.

The load at my heart came back again in a moment as I answered
hurriedly, that I did not mind Aleck's being detained, for the pleasure
of flying the kite was as good as anything. And George, who inferred
that the cloud he had noticed before over me had passed away, rejoiced
accord