place
where the path was to end, at which they stuck in another stake, and
again fastened the string.

Johnnie did not reappear for some time, and then wore an air of rather
droll vexation. 'Pity me,' he exclaimed as he gave the spades to
Honorius, 'I have fallen foul of my paternal relative. I found a lot of
birds in the arbour, and served them with a notice to quit by clapping
my hands and hooting to them, when who should appear but papa, asking
what the noise was about, and how I could be so inconsiderate as to
disturb mamma?'

'No wonder,' said Honorius.

'Oh, and I promised to keep you quiet!' exclaimed Willie in great
distress.

Jean-sans-terre laughed his merriest of laughs.

'Keep me quiet! you silly fellow. Did you really think it possible?'

'Yes, for mamma's sake,' said Willie stoutly. 'You can be quiet if you
choose; and I told you what she said about her wanting you to sit with
her this afternoon.'

'And you think paterfamilias will forbid it on account of my ill-timed
sparrow-hooting?'

'I think,' said Honorius, 'you had better speak of my father by his
right name, and endeavour to behave rather less like an idiot. Here,
take a spade, man, and come to work.'

Johnnie shrugged his shoulders, made an indescribable grimace, and began
digging vigorously, humming the Jacobite ditty,

'Wha is it noo we ha'e gotten for a king,
But a wee wee German lairdie?
And when we went to fetch him hame,
He was dibbling in his kail-yairdie.'

Honorius sketched in his pocket-book a sort of plan of what the desert
was to be like when its cultivation was completed. There was to be a
path crossing it each way exactly through the centre, and along each
side of these paths there was to be a broad flower-border, which would
partially conceal from view the potatoes and other useful vegetables
which were to occupy the chief part of the ground.

'It's not too late in the spring to plant potatoes, I suppose, Honorius,
is it?' said thoughtful Willie; 'and papa will give us those, I'm sure.
But where shall we get the flowers? I don't think papa will buy them for
us.'

'We can get some seeds of different annuals, such as nemophila and
candytuft, ourselves. That won't cost very much, and I've got three
shillings that I can spend on it; but then we shall want roots of other
things and rose-bushes, and they cost more. Have you got any money,
Johnnie?'

'No, not I. I am "sans arge