destroy for them the
pleasure of the excursion.

"I'll tell you what I think will be the best plan. You and I will go out
and take a little sail to-night on the lake in a sail boat, and mother
may stay and watch us from the window, as she reads and sews. Then
to-morrow we will go together to make an excursion on the lake."

Rollo liked this plan very much indeed, and his father sent him down to
the landing to engage the boat. "I will come down," said Mr. Holiday,
"by the time you get ready."

So Rollo went down and engaged a boat. It was rigged, as all the boats
on the Lake of Geneva are, with what are called lateen sails. His
father soon came down, and they immediately embarked on board the boat,
and sailed away from the landing. As the boat moved away Rollo waved his
handkerchief to his mother whom he saw sitting on the balcony of the
hotel, waving hers to him.

[Illustration: GOING TO TAKE A SAIL.]

Rollo and his father sailed about the lake for nearly an hour. Mr.
Holiday said it was one of the pleasantest sails he ever had in his
life, and that he was very glad indeed that Mr. Hall decided against
him.

He gave Rollo's mother a full account of the excursion when he got home.

"The water was very smooth," said he, "and the air was cool and balmy.
There was a gentle breath of wind, just enough to float us smoothly and
quietly over the water. We had charming views of the town and of the
shores of the lake, and also of the stupendous ranges of snow-covered
mountains beyond."

CHAPTER X.

AN EXCURSION ON THE LAKE.

The Lake of Geneva is shaped, as has already been said, like the new
moon. One of the horns is towards the west; the other is towards the
south. Geneva is at the tip of the western horn.

Of course, in sailing from Geneva to the other end of the lake, we go
from the west towards the east; and this renders it rather more
agreeable to make the excursion by an afternoon boat than by a morning
one; for in the afternoon, the sun, being then in the western part of
the sky, will be behind you, and so will not shine in your face; but,
instead of shining in your face and dazzling your eyes, it will be
shining upon and illuminating brilliantly the slopes of the mountains
that you are going to see. In other words, in the morning the mountains
are in shadow and the sun in your eyes; in the evening your eyes are
shaded, and the mountains glow with brilliancy and beauty.

It is often very important