as if I had risen in
life, and looked upon books in general with a feeling of personal
friendship, as from one behind the scenes, from that day; whilst,
personally, I was much elated by the thought of what a very wonderful
and extraordinary man my father was. I was rather glad when Aleck told
me that he did not think his papa had ever written a book;--it made me
feel a little bit superior to him.

After going to the stables to see my pony, we proceeded to the Zig-zag,
chattering fast the whole way. I was full of plans and projects, and
anxious at once to interest my cousin in every one of them.

"You see," I explained, "there are quantities of things that we haven't
been able to do, because there's been only George and me; and he's
always had it to say that there were only us two, and that he was old
and I young, but he can't say that now."

"He doesn't seem so very old," remarked Aleck.

"I don't think he is," I answered, "but he's taught me to call him old
George since I have been a baby; everybody else calls him Groves or Mr.
Groves. Now there's one thing I want very much to begin, and that is
digging a hole right through the earth to come out at the other side,
where, you know, we should find ourselves standing on our heads! George
has always kept putting off beginning. But haven't you heard of many
people beginning to do something great when they were boys?"

"Yes," answered Aleck, musingly; "I have a book about wonderful boys,
and one of them cut out a lion in butter, and another drew a picture
upon a stump of a tree; but I don't think we should be able to dig so
very far down--we should have to stop at last."

This unprejudiced opinion of my cousin's, adverse as it was to my
favourite scheme, was rather disappointing, but we were now engaged in
the excitement of descending the Zig-zag, so I had not leisure to think
much about it.

"Isn't it a jolly way down?" I exclaimed. "Papa says it's two hundred
feet to that piece of rock down below."

"It's not steeper than our hills at home," said Aleck; "only we have not
the sea near us--oh, how I wish we had!"

Aleck was quite as good a scrambler as I was, so we were not long in
reaching the lodge, where old George seemed to be on the watch for us,
and welcomed us both with his wonted heartiness.

"Master told me you'd be coming down, young gentlemen, as he rode by,
and that you were to go out as much as you liked in the boat; and so
I've been telling my good