ingly.

It was more than an hour from the time of his leaving, when Aleck
reappeared, holding one side of a small hamper, whilst one of the
men-servants held the other.

"Lots of good things for luncheon," he said, by way of explanation, as
they deposited their burden on the grass. And then he proceeded to
unfold how some one had been calling on his uncle and aunt, and he could
not speak to them at first; and then how his uncle had told him the
drive would have to be later, and more distant than they had intended;
and, finally, that the game of cricket being given up, we might have
our luncheon and picnic at the White-Rock Cove, returning any
reasonable time in the afternoon.

"Won't it be splendid?" Aleck continued, gleefully, whilst I drew in
line, and my kite slowly descended; "we shall have time for the sailing
match, and madrepore hunt, and the caverns--everything!"

I assented with as much of pleasure in my tone as was at command,
thinking after all how very pleasant it would be if--there came the
_if_--and I scarcely dared admit to myself, how sorry I began to feel at
the thought that my man[oe]uvre had probably succeeded, or how sorely
the disappointment to George and my cousin would mar our happiness! If
only I could know that what I had wished to happen an hour ago had not
happened, then how wonderfully light my heart would feel. A sickening
feeling of anxiety, such as I had not dreamt of in my little happy life
before, came over me, and nervously I hurried on the winding up of my
string.

"What a noble kite it is," said my cousin, "I wish I could go up upon
one!"

"'If wishes were horses'--you know the old saying, Master Gordon,"
responded Groves. "I think you'd be sorry enough after getting up five
hundred feet into the air, to feel that a puff of wind might tumble you
over, and make the coming down a trifle quicker, and less agreeable,
than the going up."

"It was the going up, and not the coming down that I meant," rejoined
Aleck, "though I have heard papa say that coming down from a great
height does not hurt."

"Ugh!" I ejaculated, "you wouldn't have me believe that. Just a little
while before you came to us I had a bad fall off the table. I can tell
you it hurt!"

"I've fallen, too, off a tree," answered my cousin, not to be outdone,
for boys are wont to brag of their honourable scars, "and it hurt a
great deal, but I mean falling from higher still. One of the sailors I
talked to on board s