val as strongly as he could, without declaring the
extent of the danger. Valencia was for sending instantly for a fly to
the nearest town, and going to stay at a watering-place some forty miles
off. Elsley was willing enough at heart, but hesitated; he knew not, at
the moment, poor fellow, where to find the money. His wife knew that she
could borrow of Valencia; but she, too, was against the place. The
cholera would be in the air for miles round. The journey in the hot sun
would make the children sick and ill; and watering-place lodgings were
such horrid holes, never ventilated, and full of smells--people caught
fevers at them so often. Valencia was inclined to treat this as
"mother's nonsense;" but Major Campbell said gravely, that Mrs. Vavasour
was perfectly right as to fact, and her arguments full of sound reason;
whereon Valencia said that "of course if Lucia thought it, Major
Campbell would prove it; and there was no arguing with such Solons as
he--"

Which Elsley heard, and ground his teeth. Whereon little Scoutbush cried
joyfully,--

"I have it; why not go by sea? Take the yacht, and go! Where? Of course
I have it again. 'Pon my word I'm growing clever, Valencia, in spite of
all your prophecies. Go up the Welsh coast. Nothing so healthy and airy
as a sea-voyage: sea as smooth as a mill-pond, too, and likely to be.
And then land, if you like, at Port Madoc, as I meant to do; and there
are my rooms at Beddgelert lying empty. Engaged them a week ago,
thinking I should be there by now; so you may as well keep them aired
for me. Come, Valencia, pack up your millinery! Lucia, get the cradles
ready, and we'll have them all on board by twelve. Capital plan,
Vavasour, isn't if? and, by Jove, what stunning poetry you will write
there under Snowdon!"

"But will you not want your rooms yourself, Lord Scoutbush?" said
Elsley.

"My dear fellow, never mind me. I shall go across the country, I think,
see an old friend, and get some otter-hunting. Don't think of me, till
you're there, and then send the yacht back for me. She must be doing
something, you know; and the men are only getting drunk every day here.
Come--no arguing about it, or I shall turn you all out of doors into the
lane, eh?"

And the little fellow laughed so good-naturedly, that Elsley could not
help liking him: and feeling that he would be both a fool, and cruel to
his family, if he refused so good an offer, he gave in to the scheme,
and went out to arran