out any wind in it!" he
exclaimed in a disappointed tone.

"It is a new football, and we can soon put wind in it," observed his
papa, laughing at what he thought his son's wit; and taking it from
Norman, he put the part with the hole to his mouth and began to blow and
blow till gradually the ball swelled out to its full size. Norman
looked on wonderingly all the time. Then Captain Vallery fastened a
piece of string round the neck of the bladder into which he had been
blowing, and tightly laced up the leathern covering.

"There my boy," he exclaimed, "you have a brand new football which you
may kick from John o' Groat's house to the Land's End without its being
much the worse for its journey, only you must not treat it as you did
the last."

Norman ran after the ball, which his papa rolled to the other end of the
room. The pleasure he might have felt at obtaining it was taken away by
his hearing Captain Vallery tell the laird how he had cut open his other
ball to look for the wind in it, at which the laird laughed heartily,
declaring that he was a true philosopher and would some day become the
Principal of the University of Aberdeen or Saint Andrews.

The servant coming in with the dish, Norman left his ball to see the
swan and fish come at Fanny's call to be fed. She managed very
cleverly, by holding a piece of bread over the magnet. Norman looked
on, wondering what could make the creatures come when Fanny called them,
and half believing that they must be alive. Then he thought how much he
should like to have them if they would come to him as readily as they
did to Fanny.

"Let me try them, Fanny," he said eagerly; "I am sure if I call them
they will swim across the dish to me. Mamma give me a piece of bread."

Norman held it to the side of the dish. Neither the swan nor the fish
moved; then he threw some crumbs towards them, but they had no greater
effect. He began to grow angry.

"I do not see why they should come more to you than to me," he said
grumpily.

Fanny then let him see that she held something in her hand.

"What is that?" he asked.

"That is my magic wand?" she answered laughing. "Perhaps if you take it
you will find that the creatures come towards you."

Norman snatched it from her. The swan was at this time near him. What
was his astonishment on presenting the rod, to see the swan swim away
from him instead of coming near, and when he tried the fish they did the
same.

"You see