lled him,
in allusion to his imperial namesake, by no means showed the disgust
expected of him: he turned up a bit of the soil with his pocket-knife,
and said reflectively,

'I should think it would grow potatoes very well, but it'll want a deal
in the way of preparation. I don't believe we could dig it up properly,
for there are none of us strong enough for the work but myself and you,
Johnnie; and you're such an idle fellow, you wouldn't work for more than
ten minutes together.'

'Oh yes, he will, if it's for mamma,' cried Willie; 'and papa would be
so pleased. Do let's begin, Honorius; I can dig quite well, and the
little ones might pull up some of the weeds.'

'We must mark the paths first if we're to do it at all,' said Honorius
in his deliberate way. 'Who's got a ball of string?'

'I have,' began Johnnie, putting his hand in his pocket; but he drew it
forth again empty, and jestingly continued, 'No, "it's gone from my gaze
like a beautiful dream." I have lost it, I suppose. We must advertise
for it; or, considering all things, perhaps it would be cheaper to buy
another.'

'You'll lose your head some day,' observed Honorius calmly. 'Run into
the house, Willie, and ask cook for some string; and you might fetch the
spades, Lackland,--they're in the arbour.'

The two boys darted off on their separate errands, and the Emperor
walked up and down, devising how the desert might be best improved.

'Rather stupid of us not to have thought of doing something to it
before,--it's more than four months since papa bought it; but, to be
sure, the weather has not been fit for out-of-door work, and papa always
talked as if it would take two or three men to put it in order. I don't
think he'll mind our having a try at it, for at any rate we can't do
much harm. I'm very glad he bought it: it would have been horrid to have
had it let on a building lease, and some great house run up that would
shut out the view from our windows, that mamma likes so much. It's nice
that her own room does not overlook this, or she'd see what we are
about, and I should like it to be a surprise to her. It's quite Willie's
idea; he's a capital chap for thinking of things to please her. I wish
that funny fellow Lackland had half as much sense.'

Willie came back very soon with the string, and assisted his brother in
fastening a stake in the ground where the path was to begin, and then,
tying the string to it, drew it along in a straight line to the