gone to bed,
the budget of Oscar's adventures to be opened on the morrow.

"You see, dear," said that lady to Inna, after Jenny was asleep; and
Inna's eyes were sadly wakeful. "You see, dear, I wanted Master Oscar to
see, while his heart was tender, on this first night, that as he had
been missed and wanted by his uncle, it ought to be 'give and take' with
him, when I spoke about the farm."

"Give and take?"

"Yes, Miss Inna, give and take; it's that as smooths life's rough
places. Master Oscar has nothing to give his uncle for all he's doing
for him, but his will--letting go that foolish nonsense about the sea.
He ought to give up the sea and take to the farm--that would be his
giving and taking; and his uncle would give him the farm, and take
his--his obedience to his wishes, as a sort of harvest of love after all
the years of sowing."

"Sowing?" said Inna.

"Yes, the doctor has sown a deal of trouble, thought, and anxiety over
this young brother of his, at last lost at sea--that's Oscar's father,
you know. I think, in his quiet way, he's set his heart on the boy
making him some return, in the way of love and gratitude; and besides,
he says, putting him into the farm is the best thing he can do for him,
leaving out the love, obedience, and gratitude, and----" But Inna was
asleep.

Well, the next evening's tea-drinking, over which Inna presided, was a
sort of state tea-drinking at which Dr. Willett sat down, a thing he had
scarcely ever been known to do before. But then, Oscar was to tell his
adventures during tea; a poor, thin, hollow-eyed narrator was he, who
had been down well-nigh to death's door.

The tea-table was gay with spring flowers, and through the open window
came a chorus of sweet sounds, the bleating of lambs from the meadows,
the lowing of the cows being driven home to their milking, the song of
birds, the hum of insects--bees and gnats--the one toiling, the others
dancing in idleness: types and shadows of the human race, as Mr. Barlow
remarked. To which Jenny added, "Yes; and of boys and girls--the girls
working, the boys idle."

But to this there was no time to make reply, for Inna had supplied them
all with tea, and Oscar had cleared his throat like a story-teller in a
book, and was waiting to begin.

"Well, you know when I started, and you shouted, and I shouted back,"
said he.

"Yes, we know--hurry up!" spoke Jenny, like an unmannerly boy.

"I went on first-rate for a time, then I ca