hing. "Are the ladies and girls all gone?"

"Yes; some time ago," he said. "I am sorry I could not let you go with
the others, as I have no doubt you would have enjoyed doing so."

"I hope you didn't stay at home just to hear my lessons, papa?" she said
regretfully.

"I might possibly have gone could I have taken my eldest daughter with
me," he replied, "though there were other matters calling for my
attention. However," he added with a smile, "you need not measure my
disappointment by yours, as I am certain it was not nearly so great."

At that moment a servant came to the door to tell the captain that a
gentleman had called on business, and was in the library waiting to see
him.

"Very well; tell him I will be there presently," replied Captain
Raymond. Then turning to Lulu, "You may amuse yourself as you like for
an hour, then prepare your lessons for to-morrow."

"Yes, sir," she answered, as he left the room, then put on her hat and
taking a parasol wandered out upon the lawn.

The captain had been giving the young people some lessons in botany, and
the girls were vieing with each other as to who should gather into her
herbarium the largest number of plants and flowers, particularly such as
were to be found in that region, but never, or very rarely, in the more
northern one they called their home. Lulu had found, and, from time to
time, placed in her herbarium, several which she highly prized for both
beauty and rarity, and now she went in quest of others.

She had scarcely left the house when, much to her surprise, she met her
baby brother and his nurse.

"Why, Neddie dear, I thought you had gone----" but she paused, fearing
to set the child to crying for his mother.

"Marse Ned's sleeping when dey goes, Miss Lu; I spec's dey'll be back
fo' long," said the nurse; and catching him up in her arms she began a
romping play with him, her evident object to ward off thoughts of his
absent mother.

Lulu walked on, spent a half hour or more gathering flowers, then
returned to the school-room, where she had left her herbarium lying on
her desk. But Master Ned, there before her, had pulled it down on the
floor, where he sat tearing out the plants which she had prepared and
placed in it with so much labor and care.

At that trying sight, Lulu's anger flamed out as it had not in years;
not since the sad time when little Elsie was so nearly sacrificed to her
eldest sister's lack of self-control.

"You naughty, nau