all the toy-shelves. He
has got such a long holiday, Alick has! Did you know, father?' she
said importantly.

'Ah!' the captain observed gravely, looking his youngest calmly over,
and losing her last words. 'The toy-shelves are _your_ decks, I
suppose, my little woman; the play-room your ship, hey? Well, well,
history repeats itself. Oh, by the way, what a wretched memory I've
got! Dear, dear! why, it has only just come into my mind! Theo, my
dear, I had occasion to go across the bay the other day, last week I
think it was, about some references I wanted from the Vicarage library,
and I just looked in to have a chat with Mrs. Vesey in her
morning-room. What a sweet woman that is! If ever there were a saint
permitted to remain on earth, it is herself. But what I had to say was
about a special message she gave me for you. To-morrow will be her
birthday, and she wants all you young folk to go over early, to have
tea and strawberries and cream. You will like that, my dear, and so
will Queenie. As for you boys, there's to be a special treat for you,
in honour of the occasion. I was to be sure and tell you so, I
remember now. You are to have the key of the museum for yourselves,
and spend the evening there. But mind, no tricks with the specimens,
which are a valuable collection. Remember you are on honour, and being
gentlemen, I presume that will suffice to prevent any mischief. Stupid
of me to forget the message! However, it's not too late, fortunately;
to-morrow has not yet come.'

There was an involuntary shout of delight from the boys when the
captain finished. A treat indeed, and a rare one, it was to be
permitted to pass an evening in the curiosity-room of the Vicarage.
From their childhood this museum had been the most interesting spot to
the young Carnegys. It was packed from floor to ceiling with a
collection of foreign monsters, weapons, and rarities, gathered
together, during a long life on foreign stations in different quarters
of the globe, by the venerable vicar, who, in his heyday, had been an
army chaplain. A more entrancing treat for Alick and Geoff could not
possibly have been devised. Suddenly, however, Alick's face gloomed
over. He remembered that the morrow, the birthday, was Wednesday, and
it was on that day he had bound himself to go to Brattlesby Woods with
Jerry Blunt, the bird-trainer, defying his tutor in the teeth to do so.
Even Alick felt a spasm of regret. If he had no