Chapter II: Part 2

"No," replied Johnny: "we'll go down and tell mamma our plans first, and ask her if we may have the curtains, and hang up the pictures."

Mrs. Le Bras was very much pleased when Johnny came down looking so animated and happy: she had begun to feel as if his pleasure was to be spoiled for the summer by the advent upon the scene of such a thoughtless and rude boy as Felix. She assented very willingly to all his plans, and said he could take any of the discarded things in the attic to furnish his room, and might select and arrange them without her superintendence; only stipulating that Sue was not to be allowed to touch any thing without his orders or permission. She said all the old curtains were in the lower drawer of the bureau in the attic, and Johnny could select which he pleased. As for a covering for the lounge, she would give him a piece of very pretty new cretonne which had been left over of some she got for curtains to Kate's room.

As it was Saturday morning, there was plenty of time for Johnny to get his room in order before the time for the sunset exhibition. Having charged Sue, again and again, not to ask his mother to come up until all was in readiness, and to give him warning if there was any danger of her making her appearance, he went to work with a will, allowing Sue to help him all she could, for the sake of her company, and because he saw that this kind of business pleased her greatly. By four in the afternoon, the room was finished; and a very attractive place it was. Johnny had opened all the windows, and thrown back the blinds, so that the great space was flooded with light, and as pleasant as out of doors. The breeze was so strong, however, since there was nothing to intercept it at that height, that Johnny was obliged to close all but the front windows.

"I know it will be cool here on the warmest day in summer," said Johnny, "because it is ever so much cooler here to-day than it is in any other part of the house. That isn't generally the way with attics: but then, this is different from an attic; it is larger, and has more windows, and the roof is different."

"If there is a very, very warm day, you can go out at the scuttle," remarked Sue.

"Oh! I'll tell you what the scuttle will be good for," replied Johnny: "we can go up there evenings, and see the stars splendidly. I shall call that my observatory. We will try it this evening."

The scuttle was in the little hall between the storeroom and Kate's room, and was reached by a kind of stair-ladder: there were several large panes of glass in it, which afforded sufficient light for the little hall-way.

"Now we will go down and get all the books I shall need," said Johnny.

Johnny's books were in one corner of Mr. Le Bras' large bookcase, which nearly filled one side of the sitting-room. When they reached the sitting-room, they found their father had returned from his office.

"I'm going to carry some of my books into my sky-room," said Johnny, "but I don't know what to keep them in: my table isn't large enough to hold any thing but my inkstand, pens, and pencils, and some paper for writing and drawing."

"Are there not some empty packing-boxes in the storeroom which we used when we moved here?" remarked his father.

"Yes."

"Take several of those which are of about the same size, and place them one above the other. If they are not quite firm enough, drive in a few nails. That will give you shelves for books and other things. Put some white paper on the bottom of the shelves, and a little light fancy paint in front, and on the top and sides, if you like."

"I wonder I did not think of that," replied Johnny; "for I have seen a very pretty bookcase which Dick Scott made out of boxes."

Johnny then began to take down some books from the shelves. First he took down four volumes of Jacob Abbott's "Science for the Young."

"I thought you had got through with those books long ago," remarked his father.

"No. I forget something in them sometimes, and then I want to look it up again; besides, I like to read parts of them over once in a while; and when I don't want to study, they are more interesting than my chemistries and philosophies, because there is a little story mixed in. I wish I could get some more just such books telling of things I haven't learned about."

"It is a pity there is no Mr. Abbott here now to write more books," said his father. "I'll tell you what you must do, Johnny: when you get old enough, you must write some similar books for young folks yourself, to cover the subjects Mr. Abbott left."

"But I sha'n't be a boy to be interested in such books then."

"Never mind," said his mother: "there will be ever so many more Johnnys to be interested, and it is pleasanter to give than to receive, you remember."

Johnny looked rather doubtful about that, but he said nothing. He took down his books upon chemistry, and philosophy, which were such as are used in high schools and academies, and a number of books upon other solid subjects, also a few story-books and a dictionary.

"What do you want of a dictionary in vacation?" asked his mother.

"When I am reading, I often come across a word which I do not understand: and then, I shall write considerably this vacation, and the dictionary will help my spelling; I intend to write a good many compositions, some of which I shall use in school next year, which will save my time."

"But I don't think you ought to do schoolwork in vacation: you ought simply to enjoy yourself, or do manual labor, which will not tax your mind," said Mrs. Le Bras.

"But writing compositions don't tax my mind, unless I am in a hurry about something else: I shall just write the compositions in vacation for the fun of it, and then, in school-time, I can let them take the place of real work."

"That is a good idea," said Mr. Le Bras. "A little providence like that saves a good deal of the friction of working-time."

"Yes," said Johnny, "and friction is apt to produce fire."

His mother laughed.

"You mean by that," she said, "it is likely to make folks lose their patience and temper."

"Come, Sue, I guess I've got enough now," said Johnny: "if I haven't, I shall think of the others by degrees."

Sue held out her apron: Johnny put as many books in it as he thought she could carry easily, and piled up the remainder, and took them in his arms, with some assistance from his father in getting them well balanced.

"I think I will go up with you to see how your 'sky-room' looks," remarked Mr. Le Bras.

"Oh, no! don't!" said Johnny. "We're not ready to have you and mother come up yet. I'll tell you when we are ready."

"You mustn't come up till after supper," added Sue,--"not till sundown."

"You look out, Sue," said Johnny warningly, "or you'll let it all out before you know it!"

Sue looked back and laughed, as she walked off with her bulged-out apron.

The boxes were speedily arranged, the bottom of the shelves covered with white paper, and the books deposited upon them.

"When I get time, I will fasten and stain the boxes; but this will do at present," said Johnny, standing back to observe the effect.--"That looks quite like a bookcase, don't it?"

"It's just splendid," replied Sue. "And what shall we do now?"

"We will arrange the lounge and table and chairs, here near the front windows, in a space about as large as our sitting-room: we can have that for the in-doors, and then we can make believe that all outside of that square is out of doors, and have it to exercise in. I think I will call that the promenade."

"Then, let's get some chalk, and mark off the room, so that we can tell exactly where the room ends, and the promenade begins."

"Very well," replied Johnny, laughing: "that wouldn't be a bad plan. If you will run down and get one of my crayons, I will mark it off now. You can get the yardstick too. While you are gone, I will be moving the furniture into the front part of the room."

The bookcase stood between the two front windows. Johnny moved the table up near the bookcase, and placed the sofa a little to the left of the left-hand window, with one end toward the front wall of the room. He then arranged the chairs and ottoman.

When Sue came back, she said a lounge ought to be against the wall, instead of extending out into the room.

"It is against the wall," replied Johnny: "it is against the crayon-wall we are to make for this side of our room."

"Why, that's so!" replied Sue, half laughingly and half wonderingly. "I forgot that three of the walls of the room were to be crayon-marks."

The room was soon chalked off very distinctly.

"That seems a good deal more like a room and a promenade than it did, don't it?" said Johnny.

"Yes," replied Sue: "I think I like walls that you can see right through, very well. I wish some of the walls down-stairs were like that, so we could see out into the back-yard."

"Let us go down in the yard now, and stay till supper-time," said Johnny: "we have been working hard all the afternoon, and I think I will romp with you now a while, if you want to; since you have been so good-natured about helping me, and keeping me company, in getting the room ready."

"Come, then! let's go right off!" exclaimed Sue, with delight.--"I'll be down in the yard before you!" and she ran off as fast as she could go, while Johnny followed more leisurely, meditating upon the pleasant respites he could take from Felix's society in his beautiful and commodious sky-room.

There chanced to be an unusually beautiful sunset that evening; and, when it was in its glory, Johnny invited his father and mother to come up and see the new apartment.

"There's going to be a free show for you," said Sue.

"Yes," said Johnny; "and it didn't cost any thing to get it up, either."

"No," added Sue: "it got itself up, and it'll do it almost every day this summer, without even being asked."

"O Sue!" whispered Johnny in her ear, "you'll let it out before we get up there, if you're not more careful."

When they entered the transformed attic, a beautiful scene was presented. The four large dormer windows were all open, and a flood of soft sunset-light filled the apartment. But best of all was the beautiful sky on all sides; for the room faced the west, and the sky all around was full of variously colored clouds, of various shades and degrees of brightness, from brilliant red and gold to delicate shades of pearl, yellow, and violet, with the blue sky for a background.

"Well! this is glorious!" exclaimed Mr. Le Bras. "I did not know we had such a room in the house! Why! it is like discovering a gold-mine!"

"Don't you remember," replied Mrs. Le Bras, "that I said, when we first came here, and were putting away some things in the attic, that there was a beautiful view up here, and it was a great pity it could not be down-stairs?"

"I don't remember it," replied Mr. Le Bras. "I think, whenever I have been here, the blinds have been closed; and as I have always been to get something, or put something away, I never have thought of looking out of the windows."

"I have opened one of the blinds sometimes," replied Mrs. Le Bras, sitting down in the rocking-chair by one of the front windows, "and noticed how far the prospect extended; but I have never been here before at sunset-time. How very, very beautiful!"

"Why, yes! this is perfect fairyland!" said Mr. Le Bras, sitting down by the other front window, in the arm-chair, and looking out at the brilliant scene produced by the green landscape, with its blue river and purple hills and flaming sky.

Mr. and Mrs. Le Bras, upon looking around the interior, praised Johnny and his assistant very much for the neat and tasteful arrangement of the curtains, furniture, etc., and were greatly amused at the chalk-line dividing the room from the promenade. They remained until the stars began to come out, declaring it was too pleasant a place to leave, as long as any of the scenery was visible.

"You see, this house is on a hill, and above the houses about here, which are only two stories," said Mr. Le Bras, "and also above the trees in the park. You are a lucky boy, Johnny, to own a room like this for the summer, which you can have all to yourself: so I think we will say it is a pretty good offset for all the annoyance you are likely to experience from Felix."

"And I suppose you will let me in here once in a while, if I get too tired of Felix's nonsense?" remarked Mrs. Le Bras.

"Oh, yes! I will let any one in except Felix himself; and I will let him in for a little while, sometimes, if he will promise not to touch any of my things, or race about."

"You had better not give him much encouragement to come here," said Mr. Le Bras, "or he may tease you too often to let him in. I would not have him know any thing about the room, until he finds it out in some way himself."

"Yes, that will be the best plan," added Mrs. Le Bras: "it will save considerable questioning and wonderment, to say the least."

*CHAPTER IV.*

*THE UNWELCOME GUEST.*

Felix was the son of Mr. Le Bras' brother, who was a wholesale merchant in New York, and very rich. It was doubtful if Felix had ever been denied any thing which he wished; that is, if it could be bought. Among the rest of his possessions were a pony, a bicycle, and a boat; for Mr. Louis Le Bras had a summer residence on the shore.

Felix arrived with his father Wednesday afternoon. They drove up in a carriage, with quite a large trunk behind, which contained Felix's summer outfit. A bicycle also was strapped on over the trunk; and, when the visitors alighted, a large Newfoundland dog bounded out of the carriage. Felix was a handsome boy, with large brown eyes, and dark, curling hair. The dog was very black and glossy.

"So we have a third visitor?" said Mr. Frank Le Bras, after he and Mrs. Le Bras and the children had shaken hands with his brother and Felix.

"Oh, yes!" replied Mr. Louis Le Bras: "Felix will not go anywhere without Clyde."

"How long have you had Clyde?" inquired Johnny of Felix.

"About two weeks. Isn't he a fine old fellow? He cost thirty dollars."

"Do you like riding a bicycle pretty well?" asked Johnny, as the hackman took that article down.

"Well, I guess so! I don't walk hardly at all now, when I get where there are dirt-roads. You won't see much of me till I've explored all the country round here."

"Didn't you want to go to Europe?" inquired Sue.

"No, not with mother, 'cause she's so awful nervous, and scares at every thing; and then, father gave me a new gold watch for staying at home,--though I don't care much about it, now I've got it."

Felix took out the watch carelessly, and showed it to Johnny and Sue.

"That's ever so nice," said Sue. "Aren't you a lucky boy, Felix?"

"I don't know," replied Felix: "all I know is, I mean to have a good time wherever I am. Father, I guess I'll try this road on my bicycle before I go in."

"No," replied his father: "come in and visit a while first."

"No," returned Felix, vaulting upon the bicycle: "I'm just going round the park square. That's just a mile, isn't it, Johnny?"

"Yes," replied Johnny: "it's a quarter of a mile on each side."

"But supper is nearly ready," objected Mrs. Le Bras.

"Never mind: you needn't wait for me; I'll have my supper when I come back," returned Felix, shooting off up the road, followed by Clyde.

Felix's father was talking quite busily with his brother, without paying any further attention to Felix. But just as the young man was vanishing around the corner, he turned, and observed him.

"Why! I thought I told that boy he couldn't go," he said.

"Yes, you did," replied Mrs. Le Bras.

"There's no keeping track of him," said his father, with an air of resignation. "Well, I suppose boys must be boys! I shouldn't wonder if we used to bother our folks a good deal when we were boys, Frank."

"If we did, we got bothered in turn by our father and mother, if I recollect rightly," replied Mr. Le Bras. "I did not venture to disobey my father very often, and I had reason to remember it when I did. I had an idea your experience was about the same."

"Parents were more strict in those days; I don't know but I think they were too strict; I am certain I used to think so when I was a boy."

"I doubt if it would have been any better for us if our parents had been more indulgent," returned Mr. Le Bras, "and I am certain that it would have been very much worse for them. Having unruly children about is rather a doubtful blessing. By the way, Louis, you remember my stipulation, that, if Felix stays here, I shall insist upon strict obedience? I cannot possibly promise care and safe-keeping without that proviso. I suppose you have given him to understand what I expect?"

"Oh, yes! he understands, and that is all right. I hope you can teach him to mind. It will be a great favor to us if you will: his mother is in too poor health, and too fond of him, to cross him much; and I am not at home a great deal. To tell the truth, I would give any one a thousand dollars to teach that boy to behave himself: in fact, I would give more."

Mr. Frank Le Bras laughed at this remark, as if it were a very good joke. "I don't know of any way of teaching a boy to do well right along, Louis, without the proper kind of government continues right along until the boy is grown up,--unless, indeed, the boy were so remarkable that he might be taught to govern himself by his own reason and conscience; and such boys are very rare: in fact, I don't know as I ever saw such a boy. But I shall do the best I can by Felix, not only for his sake and yours, but for my own comfort and that of my household. We shall not attempt to govern him while you are here, however."

"I shall be off on the eight o'clock train; so your authority will begin very soon. I can't tell you all how thankful I am that you have agreed to take charge of the young rogue. Of course we love him dearly, but even his mother is beginning to see that he is getting to be too much for us: I fancy her nervous disease is greatly aggravated by her worry over Felix."

They were sitting in the house by this time, and now Kate rang the supper-bell. Felix did not appear during supper-time, nor until past seven o'clock: then he came in with a very red face, accompanied by Clyde, who was panting, with his tongue out of his mouth.

"Where have you been?" inquired his father.

"Oh! I met a boy over by the park, and we went racing. We went up to the trotting-park, and tried the course. I guess I've got up an appetite for supper."

"You will find something on the table," said his aunt; "but, of course, you won't expect to have any thing hot, an hour after supper-time."

"I do at home," replied Felix, looking slightly disconcerted.

"But you must remember you are not at home," replied his father: "there is but one servant here, and you make an extra person in the family, at the best."

Felix sat down at the table, appearing rather out of sorts. Kate did not look very pleasant either, as she waited upon him: ordinarily, she would have had the table cleared and all the dishes washed before that time.

"Are we to have this kind of doings all the time?" she asked of Mrs. Le Bras, as the latter came into the kitchen of an errand.

"No, indeed!" replied Mrs. Le Bras: "this is the very last time, Katie; after this, if Felix is not here at meal-time, the table will be cleared, and nothing will be brought out for him but bread and butter. We shall give him to understand how it will be, and then it will be his own fault if he gets served that way."

When Mr. Louis Le Bras took his leave, he gave much good advice to Felix, and charged him to make as little trouble as possible.

"I sha'n't be any trouble," replied Felix: "I sha'n't be in the house but precious little, anyway. Clyde and I won't see much of the inside of the house till we've scoured all the region round, to begin with."

"But if you are scouring the country, how can your aunt and uncle take care of you?" replied his father. "You may get into all sorts of scrapes and dangers."

"I guess I'm old enough to take care of myself! I ain't a baby," replied Felix indignantly.

As the hack had just driven up to the door, and there was no time to spare, Mr. Le Bras shook hands all around, kissed Mrs. Le Bras and the children, said he wished he was a German so that he could kiss his brother too, as the gentlemen kissed each other in Germany, added at the last, "Now, you make that boy mind, at all costs," sprang into the carriage, told the driver to hurry, and rode off, while Felix shouted after him,--

"Don't you forget, father, that I can take care of myself!"

Johnny and Sue then took Felix up to see his room, for he had not visited them since they had moved into their new house. It was a very pretty room, fourteen feet square, in the L over the kitchen, and had a charming view of the yard and the park beyond. It was Sue's room, but she was to sleep on a cot-bed in her mother's room while Felix staid; and she rather liked the change, because her mother's room looked out on the street, where she could see the passers-by.

Johnny's room was over the dining-room, and so next to Felix's, but only opened into the hall. The spare chamber was over the sitting-room.

"This will pass," said Felix, when Johnny and Sue called his attention to the various good points about the room. "It is about half as large as my room at home; but I don't care for that, nor that there isn't any bath-room or dressing-room out of it, 'cause I sha'n't be in my room but precious little, and I mean to go down to the river and bathe every day,--swim, I mean. I can swim like a fish,--since we've had our cottage down by the shore: I learned last season. By the way, father says we can all go down to the cottage if we want to: it's furnished, you know, and empty."

"Oh, I wish we could!" said Sue. "I'll go and ask mamma if we are going."

Sue ran off, while Felix opened his trunk and showed Johnny his new summer clothes, which were very fine; also his jointed fishing-rod and various other boyish possessions, which were recent acquisitions of which he had not yet tired, since they were all fresh from the stores, most of them being presents his mother had given him to reconcile him for being deprived of a voyage to Europe.

Presently Sue came back, saying it was not decided about the offer of the cottage being accepted: it depended upon whether her father could get away for a long vacation, for her mother said she should not go unless he was able to go too.

"But I shouldn't wonder if we did go," added Sue hopefully; "for mamma looked as though she rather thought father would be able to get away, and she said he could tell better in a few weeks."

"Now, what am I to do all this evening?" said Felix. "What's going on in this place, Johnny?"

"Not very much, that I know of," replied Johnny; "and as I make up all my amusements, or almost all of them, I shouldn't know as well what is going on as Harrison Brown would."

"Who is Harrison Brown?" inquired Felix with interest.

"He's a boy who lives on State Street, opposite the north side of the park," replied Johnny.

"Has he got a bicycle? and does he wear a blue suit with a little plaid in it?" inquired Felix.

"Yes," said Sue: "that's his new suit, and I think it's real pretty."

"Why, he's the boy that I raced with," continued Felix: "I guess I'll go right over and see him, and ask him what is going on. Can't you come along, Johnny?"

"I'll ask mother," replied Johnny doubtfully.

"Can't I go too?" asked Sue.

"You?" replied Felix. "What does a girl want to go round with boys for? and what do boys want girls going around with them for?"

"But I go 'most everywhere with Johnny," replied Sue, looking rather hurt.

"But Johnny is different from other boys," said Felix.

As Johnny had gone to ask his mother about going with Felix, he did not hear this remark. "But Belle Miner goes with her brother Alec, and Terry Scott goes with her brother Dick, and we all go together; and ever so many boys and girls I know of, that are not brothers and sisters, play together, and have real good times. I like to play with boys very much, when they are not too rough and hateful; and I can run as fast, and play as well, as any of them, at most things."

Felix laughed loud and long.

"But you can't go fishing," said he, "nor ride a bicycle."

"I could ride a tricycle," said Sue, "if I had one; and if I had one to ride, I could go fishing."

Johnny came back, saying his mother would like to see Felix in the sitting-room. So they all went down to hear what she had to say.

"We are not in the habit of allowing our children to go out in the evening, unless by especial invitation, or with us, or by our advice or consent: and of course, Felix, since we are to do by you just as we do by our own children, we cannot allow you any more liberty than they have; it would not be right."

"But I don't see what harm there could be in my just going a little way, to ask a boy a question."

"We shall not expect you to see the reasons for all our rules, any more than we expect Johnny and Sue to see them, and we cannot take time and pains to explain them to you; for very likely you would not understand them any better then, since many of them can only be understood by grown persons," replied Mrs. Le Bras mildly, continuing her sewing, and not seeming to pay very much attention to Felix, who was looking decidedly cross.

"I wish I hadn't agreed to come here," he said: "I don't think much of such strict rules. My father and mother are not so notional."

Mrs. Le Bras made no reply: she seemed to be very much absorbed in her sewing. Felix got into a rocking-chair on his knees, and began rocking it violently back and forth. Johnny wished he could get up to his sky-room. Sue spread a newspaper on the floor, and, sitting down before it, began to cut a fine lady out of a colored fashion-plate, for a doll. Johnny took one of his books down, and turned over the pages mechanically; it was not the book he wanted, as that was in the sky-room; and he was afraid, too, that it would not be polite to read while Felix was unoccupied. But if Felix had not been there, he would have sat down with a book, and been happy, or amused himself in some other way.

"This is awful stupid!" said Felix.

"Here's an interesting story: don't you want to read it?" suggested Johnny. "It's about a family of children who lived up in Iceland."

"No! I hate books!" replied Felix: "they're awful stupid things. I never read if I can help it. I have more than all the reading I want at school; and I don't go to school when I don't want to, either."

Mrs. Le Bras smiled to herself.

"How often do you go to school, Felix?" she inquired.

"Two or three times a week. I go when I can't think of any thing else to do."

"Then, as you can't think of any thing else to do this evening, why not read a little while? that will help to pass away the time."

"No! I don't want to read! what do I care about folks in Iceland? It's summer now, and I want to know what folks are doing in summer."

"I've got a book that tells how some boys had a garden in summer, and sold vegetables enough to buy all the sleds and skates and caps and mittens they needed for the next winter," said Johnny.

"Oh, ho! I can have all such things without having a garden."

"But they couldn't, and it's real interesting to read how they managed their little farm."

"Farm? I thought you said it was a garden."

"It was such a large garden that they called it their farm: it was an acre of ground."

"How much is an acre?"

"You know how many acres there are in the park?"

"How should I know?"

"You know it is a quarter of a mile on each side, don't you?"

"What of that?"

"That makes a quarter of a mile square, don't it?"

"I don't know."

"And it makes a quarter of a square mile."

"Well, what of that?"

"You know how many acres there are in a square mile, don't you?"

"Of course I don't! Why should I?"

"Haven't you learned square measure at school?"

"Oh! I went past that long ago. I'm over in percentage."

"Then, you know that six hundred and forty acres make a square mile."

"No, I don't remember any thing about it. I don't expect to remember a thing after I've been past it a little while, and I never do: so I don't see what's the use of learning books at all."

"And if there are six hundred and forty acres in one square mile," continued Johnny, "in a quarter of a square mile there would be one-fourth of that, which is one hundred and sixty acres."

"Why, if there are that many acres in the park, one acre wouldn't be any thing," replied Felix. "It isn't a large park at all."

Johnny laughed as he replied, "Isn't our yard of pretty good size?"

"Yes."

"Well, our yard hasn't a quarter of an acre in it, I am sure. Let's measure it to-morrow, and see just what part of an acre there is in it."

"How can you tell?" replied Felix.

"Why, don't you know?" replied Johnny.

"No. How did you learn how?"

"Why, by studying square measure at school."

"I guess your schools are different from ours, then: I didn't learn any thing but the table, and how to do a few sums; and just as soon as I had learned that, I forgot all about it!--I say, I can't stand this! I'll go and call Clyde in, and have a good time with him."

Clyde had been in so many times, putting his muddy paws upon the furniture and her delicate dress, that Mrs. Le Bras was dismayed at this announcement.

"I think you will enjoy yourself better with Clyde out on the platform," she suggested.

"Come, Johnny, let's go out, then," said Felix. "I'll show you some of Clyde's tricks. He's a trained dog."

"Can't I go?" said Sue.

"Yes, come along if you want to; but I ain't used to having girls tagging me around."

At first Sue was a little provoked, and thought she would not go; but she was so fond of romping, that she soon followed the boys, saying to her mother,--

"Johnny will have to romp now, whether he wants to or not."

"Poor Johnny!" sighed Mrs. Le Bras.

Presently Mr. Le Bras came in; and his wife told him how restless and out of humor Felix had been, and said she could not imagine what they were to do with him, especially evenings, if they tried to be at all particular where he was, and what company he kept.

"We must manage it somehow," replied Mr. Le Bras thoughtfully; "and I cannot have you and Johnny fretted either."

"I don't know but I had better go to the cottage, whether you can go or not," continued Mrs. Le Bras; "for then he and Clyde will wear out and soil Louis' furniture instead of ours. Clyde has nearly ruined my dress already, by jumping up upon me in his good-natured way; and I have been around trying to get stains off of the upholstering of the chairs. As for Sue, I cannot pretend to dress her up at all nicely while the dog is around; and I know it frets Johnny very much to have the mud-stains on his new drab suit. If we were at the seaside, the children could dress in common clothes, and there would be more harmless outdoor amusements."

"It will never do for you to take the whole charge of that boy: it would make you ill. He must be under the eye of a man; I will see to him: and as for Clyde, I will soon settle him. I hope to be able to leave my business a while by the first of August, and then we will go to the cottage: by coming back for a few days at a time, now and then, I think I can stay some weeks; and whenever I come back, I shall bring Felix with me, unless he has greatly improved."

Just then Johnny came in, and asked his father if he would let him take his large tape-measure.

"What do you want it for?" replied Mr. Le Bras.

"I want to show Felix how to find out what part of an acre there is in our yard."

"Hasn't he learned enough arithmetic to do that himself?"

"No, sir: he's been over as far as I have, but he says he don't know any thing about square measure."

"I'll warrant!" replied Mr. Le Bras, taking the measure from one of the drawers under the library-shelves, and handing it to Johnny.

When Johnny reached the garden again, he found Felix on the roof of the shed.

"Come down, and help me measure, Felix," he said.

"No," replied Felix: "I'll sit up here, and see you do it."

"Oh! that's the kind of a surveyor you'll be," replied Johnny; "you'll survey from a distance: but this is ever so much more interesting. Come, Sue, you hold the measure for me, and I'll measure the width of the yard first. Stand back there, and keep the measure close to the fence; and when I say 'Come,' bring it to me."

As it was getting pretty dark, Felix could not see much except Johnny's and Sue's forms as they moved about. Having measured the width of the yard, Johnny measured the length.

"It is three times as long as it is broad," he announced.

"I could have told that without measuring," returned Felix scornfully. "Arithmetic isn't of any use at all."

"You had better come down before it gets any darker," said Johnny, "or you may fall."

"Fall! Oh, ho! I guess not! I ain't a baby."

"I'm going in now, to reckon this out," said Johnny. "Seventy-five feet wide, and two hundred and twenty-five feet long, or twenty-five yards wide, and seventy-five yards long. It will be easiest to find the square yards."

"How do you find the square yards," demanded Felix.

"Oh! I know that," remarked Sue; "just multiply the yards long by the yards wide: don't you, Prof.?"

"Of course," replied Johnny.

"'Of course!'" mimicked Felix. "Well, I guess I'll come down now, since the prospect isn't as good as it might be."

Johnny went in to get a pencil and a piece of paper: Felix began to come down from the roof by swinging himself off, and letting his feet rest upon the slender railing that passed along the outer edge of the platform. Just as he was putting his feet down, Clyde jumped upon him; and in trying to extricate himself from the dog, and touch the railing at the same time, he missed the railing in the darkness, and fell down, giving an impatient exclamation of pain as he reached the ground.

Sue was frightened, and ran in with the announcement that Felix had fallen off of the roof. Mr. Le Bras went out immediately, followed by Johnny and Mrs. Le Bras. Felix had arisen, but was limping up the steps, and half crying with pain. "Oh, dear!" said he, "I've sprained my ankle awfully; so I'm about sure I can't ride my bicycle for a week; and then I'd like to know what I'm going to do, staying around in the house all the time!"

Johnny's heart sank: he had counted on Felix's being off on his bicycle a good part of the next day, and what should he do if he were to be at home all the time expecting him to keep him company. Would he be able to enjoy his beautiful sky-room after all?

"Perhaps it is not as bad as you imagine, Felix," said his aunt encouragingly, while his uncle helped him up the steps and into the house; but the boy limped badly, and there was an expression of genuine pain upon his face. Mr. Le Bras seated him in an easy-chair, and placed another chair for him to rest his foot upon, while Mrs. Le Bras got the arnica to bathe the ankle. After the ankle had been bathed and bandaged, and the slippers which Sue had found in Felix's trunk substituted in place of shoes, to accommodate the swollen foot, Felix began to exclaim desolately at his forlorn condition. "I can't even do any thing to amuse myself this evening," he said; "and it's no use to go to bed, because my foot pains me so that I couldn't sleep, even if it were not early in the evening."

"Sit up here by the table," replied Johnny, "and let's figure out what part of an acre there is in the yard. Here's an extra pencil and sheet of paper. It will be real fun: let's see who gets it right first."

"It won't be any fun at all," replied Felix; "just as if there is any fun in figuring! you might as well say there is fun in going to school and studying old dry books."

Johnny made no reply. He had begun to cipher.

"What are you going to do first?" asked Felix languidly.

"Why, multiply the length by the breadth in yards, to get the square yards in the garden."

"What next?"

"Why, then reduce an acre to square yards, so as to know how many square yards there are in an acre."

"I can do that," said Felix, looking slightly interested; "but I never could see what use there was in it, and I don't see now."

"Come and do it, then," said Johnny coaxingly.

Felix hopped to the table slowly, on one foot, and sat down in the chair Sue placed for him; while Johnny brought the other chair for his foot.

"How many square yards were there?" said Felix, taking the paper and pencil, and resting the paper on a book he took from the table.

"You do it all yourself," replied Johnny; "seventy yards long, you know, and twenty-five yards wide."

Presently Johnny stopped figuring.

"Have you got through?" asked Felix.

"No: I'm waiting for you to catch up."

"1,875 square yards," said Felix.

"Yes; and now reduce an acre to square yards."

After figuring a few minutes, Felix announced 4,840 square yards in an acre. "What do you do next?" he said.

"One yard, then, would be what part of an acre?" asked Johnny.

After a moment's hesitation, Felix said, "1/4840 of an acre."

"Then, 1,875 square yards would be how many 4,84Oths of an acre?"

"Why," replied Felix, after a little further consideration, "1875/4840 of an acre."

"Now let's reduce that fraction as low as we can, by dividing both terms by five, and what does it give us?"

"375/968 of an acre."

"Now, is that about a fourth of an acre, or about a third of an acre?"

Felix looked at the figures a moment, and then said, "It's a good deal more than a quarter of an acre, and--it's more than a third of an acre too."

"Yes, it's a little more than a third of an acre: there's more ground in our house-lot than I thought there was. You know now about how large those boys' farm was,--nearly three times as large as our yard. Now let's see exactly how many roods and rods and yards and feet and inches there are."

"How do you do that?" asked Felix, looking very blank.

"Why, reduce your 1,875 square yards in the garden, to higher denominations."

"Oh, yes!" replied Felix, brightening: "I've done those sums lots of times, and those denominate fractions like 1875/4840, but I never could see any sense to it before. Let's see,--what do you divide by first? Oh! I remember, 30 1/4."

Felix figured away bravely; but when he gave his result, it differed considerably from Johnny's. After some expressions of impatience, he looked it over, and, with some assistance from Johnny, found his mistake; their answers then agreed; and he read the result aloud, with something of an air of pride in his achievement,--

"1 rood, 21 square rods, 29 square yards, 6 square feet, 108 square inches. And that's the first time I ever saw any sense in square measure, and all those things. I thought arithmetic was just to keep boys busy in school, and I could always find enough to do without it. I tell you, I've played more pranks on the teachers! and I didn't get found out very often neither; and when I did, they didn't dare punish me, for fear my folks would make a fuss; and they would too."

"It is eight o'clock now; and I always read to our children for an hour or so before they go to bed," said Mrs. Le Bras, "or have them read aloud to me."

"Let us all take turns to-night," said Johnny. "You or father begin."

"Very well," said Mrs. Le Bras, taking a book from one of the library-shelves. "We are to begin our new book to-night, which is fortunate on Felix's account."

"It'll be awful stupid, I know," said Felix: "all books are. I wish books had never been invented, and then a fellow would not have to go to school at all."

"You begin, Frank," said Mrs. Le Bras.

Mr. Le Bras put down his paper, and began to read in the book. It was an account of a pedestrian excursion made by two boys in the Alps: they were German boys, and this was the way they spent their summer vacation.

Felix did not intend to listen to the reading: he had begun to draw comic pictures on his sheet of paper; he was trying to represent himself and Clyde, as he was falling from the roof; his attempt, however, was not very artistic. But soon he became very much interested in the story, and sat quite still, listening. Mr. Le Bras, after reading about fifteen minutes, passed the book to Mrs. Le Bras. She read about the same length of time, and then passed the book to Felix. Felix said at first that he did not like to read aloud, and would have passed the book to Johnny. But his uncle said, "No, Felix, I want to hear you read;" and Felix, who stood rather in awe of his uncle Frank, did not like to disobey him. He made so many mistakes, and mixed his words up so badly by reading too fast, that Sue was about to say she could not understand his reading, when her mother shook her head at her.

When Johnny's turn came, he read remarkably well,--so much so, that Felix felt quite ashamed of his own reading, which he knew was not good, although he did not know exactly what was the matter with it, except that he could not pronounce all the words. Sue read exceedingly well for a little girl,--very much better than Felix.

"It is nine o'clock now," said Mrs. Le Bras at length, "and we must put the book aside until to-morrow night."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Felix: "we are at the most interesting part now."

But Mrs. Le Bras explained that they never read more than an hour in this way; and, as she said this, she replaced the book on the shelf, remarking that it was time for the children to go to bed.

"I never go to bed till I get ready," replied Felix, "and generally I sit up until ten."

"What time do you rise in the morning?" inquired his uncle.

"Most any time,--about eight generally."

"We breakfast at half-past seven," replied his aunt: "so you see you will need to go to bed earlier than you do at home."

Mrs. Le Bras then bathed Felix's ankle again with the arnica, and Mr. Le Bras said he would help him up to his room.

So ended the first day of Felix's visit. The next morning Felix's ankle was so badly swollen that it was evident bicycle-riding was out of the question for the present.

"I wish now," said he, "that I had brought my pony and dog-cart; but I was tired of them at home."

"Where are they?" asked Johnny.

"They're at our summer place, with the other horses and carriages. Oliver has gone down there to take care of the horses and things while father is gone."

"If we go to the cottage, can I ride in your dog-cart?" asked Sue.

"Yes, if you want to; it's just fit for girls: but give me a bicycle or a boat. We've got a sail-boat; but father won't trust me without Oliver goes, and Oliver hates to go sailing with boys. I've got a row-boat of my own."

After breakfast, it was discovered that Clyde was missing. He had been put in the summer kitchen for the night, and the door had been left open. The whole household called him, and searched for him, except Mr. Le Bras; but nothing could be heard or seen of him. A sudden suspicion flashed upon the mind of Mrs. Le Bras; and she said, in a low tone, to her husband, "Do you know where Clyde is?"

"The fewer questions you ask me, the better," he replied; and she said no more.

"If he is not found by to-night," said Felix, "I shall have an advertisement put in the paper."

"That would be of no use," replied Mrs. Le Bras; "since his name, you say, was on his collar, with the words, 'Owned by F. Le Bras.' As your uncle is the only man by the name of Le Bras in town, and F. is his first initial, any one who found him accidentally would bring him here."

"While, if he was taken intentionally from the shed during the night, as I have no doubt he was, the person who took him does not mean to return him," added Mr. Le Bras.

"Then, I must have another dog," replied Felix.

"Very well," said his uncle: "if you do not find Clyde by the time we go to the seaside, you shall have another; but I think, while you are in town, you can get on very well without a dog, provided Clyde does not find his way back."

"He would have woke us all up if the thief had not muzzled him," said Felix.

"I presume he was muzzled," replied Mr. Le Bras. "This is a bad neighborhood for dogs; I have no idea that you could keep a dog safe here a week; there is a great prejudice in this neighborhood against dogs."

Mr. Le Bras then turned the conversation by saying to his wife, "You remember Pierre was to stay here while his folks are away?"

"Yes," replied Mrs. Le Bras: "I am quite willing he should come at any time; he makes scarcely any trouble at all."

"Trouble!" exclaimed Sue: "I think he makes a great deal of pleasure."

"So do I," said Johnny. "When is he coming?"

"Week after next, I believe," replied Mr. Le Bras, taking his hat, and going toward the door. "His father and mother have decided to spend the rest of the summer at the White Mountains, on account of his father's health: he is suffering seriously from malaria."

The next thing was, what was to be done with Felix that day, since he was contented with nothing but lively outdoor amusements. Johnny was too polite and kind-hearted to leave him to his own slender devices, while he was in such a helpless condition; but he thought sadly of the quiet and beauty of the sky-room, which he had not been able to visit since Felix arrived.

*CHAPTER V.*

*COMPROMISES.*

"How will you amuse yourself to-day, Felix?" asked Johnny, as they walked aimlessly into the sitting-room. Johnny was thinking to himself, "I wish school was not out, and then there would not be so much time in which I should have to think of being polite to Felix, instead of going about the things I like to do myself, and which he don't care any thing at all about."

"Oh! I don't know, I'm sure," replied Felix, yawning: "can't you think up something? I know it's going to be as stupid as can be. I wish I had insisted on going to Europe."

"I know what I would do, if I was only tall enough," said Sue: "I'd try to ride Felix's bicycle myself. I think it must be great fun."

This made Felix laugh. "It would be good as a play to see you try," he said; "I just wish you could; it would give us some fun to see you wobble about on it, and scream every time you thought it was going to fall over."

"Why don't you have Johnny try?" suggested Sue; "it would be pretty near as much fun; only Johnny wouldn't scream, if he did fall over; he never screams at any thing."

"That's an idea," said Felix. "Yes, Johnny, you try the bicycle: it's great fun to see a beginner."

Now, the truth was, Johnny had for some time been wishing he had a bicycle, although he had not as much as hinted this desire to his father or mother; since he belonged to a society of boys and girls who called themselves "Independents," because they had pledged themselves not to spend any money for amusement, etc., which they had not earned themselves. Johnny wore the badge of the society, and had taken great pleasure in earning the not very large amount of money he needed for his chemicals and other trifling expenses, by carrying papers, and doing various other little odd jobs which came in his way. Indeed, he had got to be the great errand-boy of the neighborhood, because it had come to be understood that he was willing to make himself useful for a very reasonable remuneration. His father and mother had not discouraged this endeavor, because Johnny was inclined to read and study too much, and any thing which would divert his mind out of doors in healthful exercise was beneficial to him. But as for earning enough to buy a bicycle, of course that was beyond Johnny's present abilities as an Independent.

"Would you be willing that I should try it?" replied Johnny.