mlets and villages scattered along the slopes of them. At
length they arrived at Balloch. There was no village here, but only a
pretty inn, situated delightfully on the margin of the lake, very near
the outlet. There was an elegant suspension bridge across the outlet,
very near the railroad station. There were several thatch-covered
cottages near, and two or three castles were seen through openings
among the trees on the hill-sides around. As the party crossed the
suspension bridge, Rollo and Waldron, to their great delight, saw
several boats floating in the water near the inn, and there was a boy on
the bridge fishing over the railing. They stopped to talk with this boy,
while Mr. George went on to engage rooms at the inn, and to order a
supper.

When the boys came in they gave such fine accounts of the fishing on the
lake, and of the facility with which they could obtain a boat, and a
boatman to go out with them, that Mr. George was half persuaded to allow
them to engage a boat, and to go out with them for an hour or two.

"And we want you to go with us, too," said Waldron, "if you can; but if
you have any thing else to do, we can go by ourselves, with the
boatman."

"Yes," said Rollo, "and if you think it is not best for us to go at all,
we can fish on the bridge."

Mr. George was much pleased to hear the boys speak in this manner in
respect to the excursion. He was particularly glad to hear Waldron say
that he desired that _he_ should go with them. It is always an excellent
sign when a boy wishes his father, or his mother, or his uncle, or
whoever has the charge of him, to go with him, and share his pleasures;
and those parents and uncles who take an interest in the plans and
enjoyments of their children, and sympathize with them in their
feelings, in such a manner that the children like their company, place
themselves in a position to exercise the highest possible influence over
their conduct and character.

"Shall we have time?" asked Mr. George.

"Yes, sir," said Waldron. "It is not dark here till half past ten, and
it is only half past six now, so that there are four hours."

The farther you go north the longer the evenings are, in summer; and at
the time when our party made this visit to the Highlands, the evenings
there were so long that you could see to read very well till nearly ten
o'clock. The dawn, and the sunrise, too, come on proportionately early
in the morning. The boys forgot this one morning