try like India, for
instance, where I am going. There, I am told, it is quite a common
thing for a man to be twenty miles from his next-door neighbour, and yet
be on constant visiting terms."

"Dear me!" said the uncle.

"You don't know India, I suppose, sir?" inquired Charlie.

"No; that is--"

"He's only read about it in books," again put in the aunt; "and so, my
love, you'd better say at once you don't know anything about it."

"Well," said Charlie, "it depends a good deal on the books. Some books
of travel are so vivid one almost seems to be in the country they
describe.

"Er--what did you say, Reader?"

Reader was quick enough to take this broad hint, and keep up the talk.

"To my mind, the most interesting books are those which describe, not so
much places, as people and their manners. There are a great many books
of this kind about India. One I lately read was specially interesting."

And then, to Jim's unbounded delight and gratitude, George began calmly
to give a review a quarter of an hour long of the work in question for
the benefit of the two old people, who, as they listened, became more
and more impressed with the importance of their nephew's friend, and of
the impossibility of obtruding their special grievance on the party at
the present time. Indeed, the aunt had almost forgotten the speech with
which she had come prepared, in her pleasure at hearing the young men
talk, and she even joined in the conversation in a manner which showed
how she enjoyed it. The uncle was still gloomy, and appeared to be
waiting the first favourable opportunity for "coming to the point."

The opportunity, however, never occurred. After a long and lively talk
on all sorts of matters, Jim adroitly turned the conversation on to the
subject of athletics by appealing to his uncle to add his voice to that
of Reader's other friends in rebuking him for never taking any exercise.

"Look at his pale face!" he exclaimed; "isn't it a disgrace?"

George bore this attack good-naturedly, and began to excuse himself; but
the uncle, who had not before noticed his looks, interrupted him by
saying,--

"Pardon me, sir, but I quite agree with James. If is very wrong to
cultivate the brain at the expense of the body."

This observation brought down Charlie's hearty approval, who forthwith
launched into a rhapsody on athletic sports--particularly football--
appealing in every sentence to the uncle, who now found himself fair