thing of a tailor, if he's worth his salt!"

He laughed when he said this, and his imperturbable good-humour banished
the last vestige of Mrs Gilmour's vexation at the children's plight.

"Sure, and you shan't do anything of the sort," she said smiling. "I'll
run up Nell's tatters meesilf!" As she spoke she produced from her
pocket--a handy little "housewife," containing needles and thread, as
well as a thimble, which useful articles the good lady seldom stirred
out without; and, sitting down on a shawl which the Captain spread over
a bit of turf that he assured her was free from nettles, and ten yards
at least from the nearest rabbit-burrow, she proceeded to sew away at a
brisk rate on the torn frock of Miss Nellie, who sat herself demurely
beside her aunt.

"Will you be long?" inquired the old sailor, after watching her busy
fingers some little time, getting slightly fidgety. "Eh, ma'am?"

"I should think it will be quite an hour before I shall be able to make
the child decent," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Humph!" ejaculated the Captain, as he always did when cogitating some
knotty point, "I'll tell you, ma'am. If it's agreeable to you, ma'am,
the boys and I might go on to Brading and see the remains of that Roman
villa I was talking about yesterday. That is, unless you would like us
to wait till you've done your patchwork there, and all of us go
together, eh?"

"No, I wouldn't hear of such a thing," answered Mrs Gilmour, looking up
but not pausing for an instant in her task. "I wouldn't walk a mile to
see Julius Caesar himself, instead of his old villa, or whatever you
call it."

The Captain appeared greatly amused at this.

"I'm not certain that the place ever belonged to that distinguished
gentleman," he said. "It is supposed, I believe, to have been the
residence of a certain Vespasian, who was governor of the Isle of Wight
some period after its conquest by the Romans; but how far this is true,
ma'am, I can't vouch for personally, never having as yet, indeed, seen
the spot."

"But, I assure you, I've no curiosity to go. I feel much too tired, and
would rather sit comfortably here. Would you like, Nell, to go with the
Captain and Bob?"

"No, auntie, I'd prefer stopping with you. I want to get some ferns and
lots of things after you've mended my dress for me," replied Alice. "I
like flowers better than old ruins."

She said this quite cheerfully, as if she didn't mind a bit not going
w