iers are gone, and as soon as you
can hit the mark, you shall go out with Mr. Alfred or me."

"And when are we to learn, Mary?" said Emma.

"I will teach you, cousins," said Alfred, "and give a lesson to my
honored mother."

"Well, we'll all learn," replied Mrs. Campbell.

"What's to be done to-morrow, Martin?" said Alfred.

"Why, sir, there are boards enough to make a fishing-punt, and if you
and Mr. Henry will help me, I think we shall have one made in two or
three days. The lake is full of fish, and it's a pity not to have some
while the weather is so fine."

"I've plenty of lines in the store-room," said Mr. Campbell.

"Master Percival would soon learn to fish by himself," said Martin, "and
then he'll bring as much as Master John."

"Fish!" said John with disdain.

"Yes, fish, Master John," replied Martin; "a good hunter is always a
good fisherman, and don't despise them, for they often give him a meal
when he would otherwise go to sleep with an empty stomach."

"Well, I'll catch fish with pleasure," cried Percival, "only I must
sometimes go out hunting."

"Yes, my dear boy, and we must sometimes go to bed; and I think it is
high time now, as we must all be up to-morrow at daylight."

The next morning, Mary and Emma set off to milk the cows--not, as usual,
attended by some of the young men, for Henry and Alfred were busy, and
Captain Sinclair was gone. As they crossed the bridge, Mary observed to
her sister,

"No more gentlemen to attend us lady milk-maids, Emma."

"No," replied Emma; "our avocation is losing all its charms, and a
pleasure now almost settles down to a duty."

"Alfred and Henry are with Martin about the fishing-boat," observed
Mary.

"Yes," replied Emma; "but I fancy, Mary, you were thinking more of
Captain Sinclair than of your cousins."

"That is very true, Emma; I was thinking of him," replied Mary, gravely.
"You don't know how I feel his absence."

"I can imagine it, though, my dearest Mary. Shall we soon see him
again?"

"I do not know; but I think not for three or four weeks, for certain.
All that can be spared from the fort are gone haymaking, and if he is
one of the officers sent with the men, of course he will be absent, and
if he is left in the fort, he will be obliged to remain there; so there
is no chance of seeing him until the haymaking is over."

"Where is it that they go to make hay, Mary?"

"You know they have only a sufficiency of pasture round the fort fo