ke the Greek chorus?" said Beatrice, in a
whisper to Fred, who gave a little laugh, but was too anxious to attend
to her.

"I thought he was drowned in the river," said Alex.

"No, it was in the deep pool under the weeping willow, where the
duckweed grows so rank in summer," said Carey.

Uncle Geoffrey laughed. "I am sorry to interfere with your romantic
embellishments, Carey, or with the credit of your beloved pond, since
you are determined not to leave it behindhand with its neighbours."

"I always thought it was there," said the boy.

"And thought wrong; the poor man was found in the river two miles off."

"I always heard it was at Knight's Pool," repeated Carey.

"I do not know what you may have heard," said Uncle Geoffrey; "but as it
happened a good while before you were born, I think you had better not
argue the point."

"Grandpapa," persisted Carey, "was it not in Knight's Pool?"

"Certainly not," was the answer drily given.

"Well," continued Carey, "I am sure you might drown yourself there."

"Rather than own yourself mistaken," said Uncle Geoffrey.

"Carey, Carey, I hate contradiction," said grandmamma, rising and
rustling past where he stood with a most absurd, dogged, unconvinced
face. "Take your arm off the mantelpiece, let that china cup alone, and
stand like a gentleman. Do!"

"All in vain!" said Beatrice. "To the end of his life he will maintain
that Knight's Pool drowned the travelling man!"

"Well, never mind," said John, impatiently, "are we coming to skate this
morning or are we not?"

"I really wish," said Aunt Mary, as if she could not help it, "without
distrusting either old Knight's Pool or your judgment, Alexander, that
you would ask some one to look at it."

"I should like just to run down and see the fun," said Uncle Geoffrey,
thus setting all parties at rest for the moment. The two girls ran
joyfully up to put on their bonnets, as Henrietta wished to see,
Beatrice to join in, the sport. At that instant Mrs. Langford asked
her son Geoffrey to remove some obstacle which hindered the comfortable
shutting of the door, and though a servant might just as well have done
it, he readily complied, according to his constant habit of making all
else give way to her, replying to the discomfited looks of the boys, "I
shall be ready by the time the young ladies come down."

So he was, long before Henrietta was ready, and just as she and Beatrice
appeared on the stairs, Atkins was carryin