d proved himself forgetful of food. As the
easiest manner of providing in quantity, he had brought up from Miss
Orrin's store-room a complete box of candles, which he had opened for
her in a summary manner with the back of his knife and the toe of his
boot.

Elsie was therefore able to follow the somnolent progress of the
adventures of the late Nicholas, M.D., a gentleman whose travels had
led him to the Island of Trinidad. In the interests of the "Huttonian
Theory" he had visited its famous pitch lake, on which he had found
cattle grazing peacefully, as on an English meadow. She had just
reached the following passage, and was nodding over it, the lines
running together in the most curious manner, and her head sinking
forward occasionally, only to be caught up with a sharp jerk, and the
passage begun again with renewed determination.

"No scene can be more magnificent than that presented on a near
approach to the north-western coast of Trinidad. The sea is not only
changed from a light green to a deep brown colour, but has in an
extraordinary degree that rippling, confused, and whirling motion which
arises from the violence of contending currents, and which prevail here
in so remarkable a manner, particularly at those seasons when the
Orinoco is swollen with periodical rains, and vessels are frequently
some days or weeks in stemming them, or perhaps are irresistibly borne
before them far out of their destined track."

This was not clear to Elsie, but she had read the passage so often that
the very whirling of these Orinocan currents, confused and rippling as
they were, reacted subtly on her brain. She was just dropping over
when a second and yet more soothing paragraph caught her eyes. (There
is nothing like a volume of old travels for putting one to sleep--no
extra charge for the prescription.)

"The dark verdure of lofty mountains, covered with impenetrable woods
to the very summits, whence in the most humid of climates torrents
impetuously rush through deep ravines to the sea"--this, carefully
followed, beats sheep jumping over a stile all to fits--"between rugged
mountains of brown micaceous schist"--sch--isssst--final recovery--"on
whose cavernous sides the eddying surf dashes with fury. From the
wonderful discoloration and turbidity of the water, Columbus
sagaciously concluded that a very large river was near, and
consequently--consequent-ly--a great continent!"

But to this continent Elsie never atta