n into the forest, uncle," said the boy frankly.

"Expedition into the forest, sir! Um--ah! Well.--Yes, I'm afraid I was
thinking about it too. I am so sorry, Des Saix. But welcome all the
same, if you will forgive me."

"Forgive you, yes!" said the Count warmly. "That and a great deal more.
But I am very glad that you have so strangely led up to the subject
upon which I wish to talk to you."

"What, my forgetfulness?"

"No, no! That expedition into the forest."

"No, no; don't talk about it. I have thought about it too much, and it
worries me."

"Well, I want to put a stop to its worrying you. Morny here has been
telling me how anxious you both are to go."

"Morny! Why, what did he know about it? He couldn't tell. Here, you,
Rodney, have you been letting your tongue run, sir, exposing all my
weaknesses?"

"No, sir, that he has not," replied the French lad eagerly; "but I have
gathered from your remarks, and words that Rodd has more than once let
drop, how anxious you both are to have a run up country and see
something of what the wilds are like."

"Oh, fudge! Stuff! Nonsense!" cried the doctor petulantly. "That's
quite out of the question."

"Why?" said the Count.

"Why?" cried the doctor. "Oh, because it's--that is--er--I feel--"

"Bound by a sense of imaginary duty," said the Count, smiling. "You
think it would be unfriendly to me and my son here to leave us in what
you English people call the lurch; and therefore you are depriving
yourself of what would be a great pleasure as naturalists and hunters in
which you would indulge if we were not here."

"My dear Des Saix, I do wish you would not talk about it," cried the
doctor. "There, I confess that if we were alone I should probably take
advantage of the Spanish captain's knowledge of the country, and go a
little way up with him; but as matters are, with your brig still
unfinished, and so much to do, I consider it would be an act of
disgraceful selfishness to go away and leave you alone here."

"Absurd!" said the Count. "You would be going into wilder parts while
we should be quite at home here, in the nearly finished brig, and have
her in the best of trim by the time you came back."

"Impossible!" snapped out the doctor. "Nothing of the sort."

"What do you say, Morny?" continued the Count. "You feel that they are
both eager to go?"

"Yes, father; and I am sure that Rodd is burning with desire."

"You don't know anything abo