f Mr. Stacey goes with us, they can use Daddy's gun-room for a study,
and read for three or four hours every morning. And Cousin Clare must
come too, to take care of us all; we couldn't leave her behind. Mother
loved her when she came over to fetch me last year. I don't believe
she'd have let anybody else take me away. Oh, how I want to show Sicily
to you all! Won't we have absolutely the time of our lives? To think of
going home and taking you with me!"

It was wonderful how Princess Carmel seemed to manage to get her own
way. Mr. Bowden and Miss Walters, who were the natural obstacles to the
plan, yielded quite amicably after only a short opposition. Cousin Clare
had encouraged the scheme from the first, and Mr. Stacey and Everard
were all enthusiasm.

"You'll need us men to look after the luggage," declared Everard,
oblivious of the fact that Cousin Clare had successfully piloted Carmel
and her boxes across the continent without any masculine assistance, and
was quite capable of traveling round the world on her own account.

As Mr. Greville was one of the directors of a line of Mediterranean
steamers running from Liverpool to Alexandria, it was decided that the
party should book passages in the _Clytie_, and go by sea as far as
Malta, crossing from there in a local vessel to Sicily. The doctors
thought that a sea voyage would be better for Lilias than a long tiring
train journey across France and Italy, and as it was a novel experience,
the idea was attractive to most of the party. Fortunately they were
able to engage the accommodation they needed, and set out without
further loss of time.

I will not describe the journey to Liverpool, or the wearisome drive
through drab streets and along miles of docks till they reached the
_Clytie_. She was a steamer of about 6,000 tons, and, considering the
crowded condition of all sea traffic at the time, they might think
themselves very lucky to be able to secure cabins without waiting months
for the privilege. It was indeed only owing to Mr. Greville's influence
that they had been able to do so. With much curiosity they looked round
the floating castle which was to be their home for perhaps a fortnight.
All seemed new and strange to their wondering eyes--the dining-saloon,
with its long table and fixed, crimson plush-covered chairs, that
swivelled round like music-stools to allow their owners to sit down on
them; the small saloon, with mirrors, piano, and books, specially
r