near us. They were like a lot of wild young colts, very
inquisitive, but very coy and not to be cajoled easily. The children
were nine in all--five boys and two girls belonging to Mr and Mrs
Rollings, and two to Ernest. I never saw a finer lot of children than
the young Rollings, the boys were hardy, robust, fearless little fellows
with eyes as clear as hawks; the elder girl was exquisitely pretty, but
the younger one was a mere baby. I felt as I looked at them, that if I
had had children of my own I could have wished no better home for them,
nor better companions.

Georgie and Alice, Ernest's two children, were evidently quite as one
family with the others, and called Mr and Mrs Rollings uncle and aunt.
They had been so young when they were first brought to the house that
they had been looked upon in the light of new babies who had been born
into the family. They knew nothing about Mr and Mrs Rollings being paid
so much a week to look after them. Ernest asked them all what they
wanted to be. They had only one idea; one and all, Georgie among the
rest, wanted to be bargemen. Young ducks could hardly have a more
evident hankering after the water.

"And what do you want, Alice?" said Ernest.

"Oh," she said, "I'm going to marry Jack here, and be a bargeman's wife."

Jack was the eldest boy, now nearly twelve, a sturdy little fellow, the
image of what Mr Rollings must have been at his age. As we looked at
him, so straight and well grown and well done all round, I could see it
was in Ernest's mind as much as in mine that she could hardly do much
better.

"Come here, Jack, my boy," said Ernest, "here's a shilling for you." The
boy blushed and could hardly be got to come in spite of our previous
blandishments; he had had pennies given him before, but shillings never.
His father caught him good-naturedly by the ear and lugged him to us.

"He's a good boy, Jack is," said Ernest to Mr Rollings, "I'm sure of
that."

"Yes," said Mr Rollings, "he's a werry good boy, only that I can't get
him to learn his reading and writing. He don't like going to school,
that's the only complaint I have against him. I don't know what's the
matter with all my children, and yours, Mr Pontifex, is just as bad, but
they none of 'em likes book learning, though they learn anything else
fast enough. Why, as for Jack here, he's almost as good a bargeman as I
am." And he looked fondly and patronisingly towards his offspring.

"I thi