ase the force of it."

"Oh bother! don't moralise, man, but let's have your opinion of the
weather, which is an all-important subject just now."

"I have already given my opinion as to that," said Lawrence, "but here
comes one who will give us an opinion of value.--He is in capital time."

"Good morning, Antoine."

Their guide for the day, Antoine Grennon, a fine stalwart specimen of
his class, returned the salutation, and added that it was a very fine
morning.

"Capital, isn't it?" cried Lewis, cheerfully, for he had got over the
irritation caused by the buttons. "Couldn't be better; could it?"

The guide did not admit that the weather could not be better.

"You look doubtful, Antoine," said Lawrence. "Don't you think the day
will keep up?"

"Keep up!" exclaimed Lewis; "why, the sky is perfectly clear. Of course
it will. I never saw a finer day, even in England. Why do you doubt
it, Antoine?"

The guide pointed to a small cloud that hung over the brow of one of the
higher peaks.

"Appearances are sometimes deceitful in this country," he said. "I
don't doubt the fineness of the day at present, but--"

He was interrupted here by the sudden and noisy entrance of Captain
Wopper and the Professor, followed by the mad artist, whose name, by the
way, was Slingsby.

"No, no," said the Captain to the Professor, with whom he had already
become very intimate, "it won't do to part company. If the Jardang is
too far for the ladies, we will steer for the Mairdyglass, an' cross
over to the what's-'is-name--"

"Chapeau," said the Professor.

"Ah! the shappo," continued the Captain, "and so down by the glacier dez
boys--"

"The what?" asked Lewis, with a half-suppressed smile.

"The glacier dez boys, youngster," repeated the Captain, stoutly.

"Oh, I see; you mean the Glacier des Bois?" said Lewis, suppressing the
smile no longer.

"What I mean, young man," said the Captain, sternly, "is best known to
myself. You and other College-bred coxcombs may call it day bwa, if you
like, but I have overhauled the chart, and there it's spelt d-e-s, which
sounds dez, and b-o-i-s, which seafarin' men pronounce boys, so don't go
for to cross my hawse again, but rather join me in tryin' to indooce the
Professor to putt off his trip to the Jardang, an' sail in company with
us for the day."

"I will join you heartily in that," said Lewis, turning to the man of
science, who stood regarding the Captain with an amiable smi