Part 13 (1/2)

”God invented Hugh's legs and the sun,” Grizzel said; ”Hugh only put in the squiggly toe”

”But that's just it,” Jerry argued; ”like Newton and the apple The sis are there all the ti I think that's a jolly ingenious idea

You'd have to know exactly where due north was, of course, and you'd have to have the sun That's the trouble in London; the sun just slops about the sky, and half the time you can't see him at all”

The children noirled round and round like dervishes,shadow-clocks till there were hardly any shadows left, as the sun rose higher and higher in the heavens It also became warmer and warmer; so they decided to sit in a roith their backs to the sea and their eyes firht of the treasure for a single reen us the treasure reen umbrella had been to market about twenty times when a voice behind them made them all start

”Well, now--to be sure!”

And there was Mr Broith nothing in his hands--no sack upon his back

”How _did_ you come, Mr Brown?” Mollie asked ”We looked and looked”

”Grand sentries you'd make--all lookin' one way,” said Mr Brown

”Suppose you look at the sea for a change”

Six pairs of eyes turned to gaze at the sea--and six pairs of feet instantly began to run, for there, drawn up on the beach, was a boat!

”How's that for a tidy craft?” asked Mr Brown ”Is she pretty shaped? How do you like her paint? Look at her nice little oars

Eight, she holds--nice-sized party eight is, sort o' cosy an'

cheerful”

The children looked froht any s; the only thing on earth worth having at thatHer outer dress was of bright, dark green, with a scarlet line round the ri of delicate iron scroll-work ran round her stern, and across it curved a board, with the boat's naold: _The Belle of Canada_

”Do you an, but he was too overpowered to finish, because it was all very well to talk about ca as a real, life-sized boat--and such a beautiful boat too--should fall into their hands in this casual as too wildly improbable to be true

But it was true, nevertheless That lovely little boat was really theirs!

The way it happened was this, Mr Brown explained: the year before-- while the Ca her Australian relations, had coe the Campbells were in now She was very ill when she arrived The doctors feared consu was the best ht--”and a fine price they paid for her too,” Mr Brown reirl was half her tiot so sun-burnt and sturdy that before she left she was rowing the boat herself--”an' you'd never know she'd had a mite the matter with her,” Mr Brown said When the tiive her boat to soht have as happy a suive it in the usual way of giving--she e in the bottle, which she left with Mr Brown

”But I wasn't in no hurry,” he said ”I kep' in' set o' young ruffians, s they set hands on I soon saw that this chap was a different sort altogether, hammerin' an' tinkerin' away at his raft, and careful of her as if she was a lady--he's the sort for little Missie an' me, I said to myself, so in the bottle went, only an hour or two before you found it”

”And suppose no one had found it, or the other bottle?” dick suggested

”Not er o' that, with six pair o' sharp eyes an'

inquisitive headpieces around,” Mr Brown answered, with a laugh

”The only bit I wasn't sure about was the Duke's Nose, for not many knows it by that name; but little Missie would have it--said it was h what's romantic about a duke's nose it beats me to see--just like any other nose, I don't h says Jerry's nose is like a duke's,” Grizzel said, so that all eyes were immediately fixed upon poor Jerry's nose

”Jolly romantic, especially when I have a cold in the head!” he exclaimed

”Well now, ju to your Pa,” said Mr Brown

”Do you know Papa?” asked Grizzel, whose round blue eyes had never left Mr Brown's face since he began his story