them on the corresponding day of the preceding year. Yet the river had, in an infinitesimal measure, deepened its bed, and borne its minute tribute of silt to the far off sea, there to add to the delta which may, after countless ages, form a mountain summit. The trees have ripened in strength and beauty, and have advanced towards their final decay, committing to the soil and to the river the germs of new forests, contributing to that soil all their fertilising garniture of the last summer.

The children played or talked till Eugene fell asleep; while Frank energetically tried to make a sounding line of his own invention resist the force of the stream, and draw up a specimen of the river sand; and Fred laboriously finished and rounded off his fort; all the time trying to explain to the Sprite, as he called Nina, the reasons for all his proceedings on this occasion, and the principles of fortification in general. The Sprite laughed at first, and could not, or would not understand the explanation, that was not very clear.

Then

Then she grew cross and pettish, and Fred and she had a very pretty quarrel; and as he would persist in continuing this explanation, Nina in revenge went wandering away amongst the rocks and ferns.

Frank was disturbed in the midst of his experiments by a cry that overcame the ceaseless sound of the restless stream, repeated more than once; he started up. 'What's that?' shouted he, Eugene, is that your voice?'

He heard the cry again.

'Frank! where's Nina?' said Eugene; 'Is she here?'

'I don't know. Fred, have you seen Nina' shouted Frank.

Nina? no. I forgot all about her,' said Fred, standing up and looking round; 'No, she's not here. I suppose she's gone

home.'

'What a fuss you make, Eugene!' said Frank, turning again to his plummet. 'She's all right, depend upon it.'

Where is she?' said Eugene again, approaching Frank; and Fred, surprised,

took

1

took off his shoes and stockings and walked across the shallow stream to join his brothers.

'What is the matter, Eu?' said Frank. "You look so pale and strange! Do you think she's fallen into the river? why it's as safe as our own drawing-room."

'Oh, I daresay she's all right,' said Eugene, gradually recovering hmiself, 'only I thought I should like to know where she was, just at that moment.'

Why, no doubt she's at home,' said his brother good-naturedly. 'But I'll go and see, old fellow, if you wish it; you seem all in a maze.'

Eugene said, 'Oh, I don't so much care now. I fell asleep, and I had a disagreeable dream, that's all. It was stupid to say anything about it.'

'Stuff!' said Fred.

'What stuff! a

dream! What do dreams signify!" and he turned to cross the river.

'Never mind the Field-Marshal, old fellow,' said Frank; 'I'll go to the Chase and see where she is, if you like it.'

'The

6

The dream was about him too,' said Eugene, looking still rather strange.

But

I should not like to tell it. It's all nonsense, of course.'

And he never did tell that dream.

Eugene! Frank! Where's Nina!'

A wooden bridge, old, frail and ruinous, crossed the stream a little above the spot on which two of the three brothers stood. Behind the bridge, the trees that bordered the stream on either hand, rising on the sides of the hills, separated a little, and the gorge widened. The whole glory of the golden summer's sky, in which the sun was now declining, filled up the background of this opening, and threw a crimson flush over the trees, the slopes, and the river..

Standing on the bridge, in front of this wonderful glow of radiance, was a figure, a female figure, rather low and squareshouldered, though it was that of a very young girl. Her face and the colour of her dress were invisible, standing as she did against that flood of light; the rather ungraceful,

ungraceful, though childish form and its outline, cutting out so much of brightness and beauty from the sky.

"Eugene! Frank!' cried she; 'where's Nina?"

66

'I don't know, Syb," said Frank; very happy, I don't doubt, to have been so long away from you.'

'Is she here?' said the girl thus addressed. 'Can't you tell me at once?'

'Not at your bidding, Syb; you're not going to domineer over me, I can tell you,' said Frank.

6 'We don't know where she is. She was here, but is not here now, that's all,' said Fred.

'I will know where she is. My uncle and aunt are come home, and I shall take her back with me at once,' said the girl, leaving the bridge, and advancing towards the three boys.

Search and look for yourself then,' said Frank. 'I shan't stir a step, I assure you.'

'It is a shame of you boys to entice