nearly upsetting the prim Englishman, in another moment she was clinging to the neck of her darling sister Emily, crying and laughing with delight and surprise.

"Dear little pet!" and "Darling Emily !" was all that either could say for the first few moments. Then Rosalia came shyly forward to welcome her new cousin, looking very pleased, but not at all surprised, and there was the prim English gentleman (no other than the formidable Uncle George) shaking hands with Uncle Pasquale and bending stiffly down to pat Lina's head and kiss her on the forehead (tickling her dreadfully with his big whiskers), ejaculating, "God bless me ! So this is my youngest niece! Singularly like my poor brother! Dear me! dear me !"

It was not till they were all in the boat and close to the landing-place that Lina recovered sufficiently from her bewilderment of joy to ask a few questions.

"What a surprise for dear mamma! she cried, "Why, she has packed everything to be ready to

start. How ever is it that you are here? What a beautiful idea it was to come to us, instead of sending for mamma!"

"Dear me! dear me! So you really kept my secret, then?" said Mr. Gerard in his funny French to Uncle Pasquale.

"Yes, and so did this little girl of mine," answered the latter, twining his arm round Rosalia's waist; "but I can tell you, Mr. Gerard, I never in my life had so much difficulty in keeping a secret, and Rosalia very nearly let it all out two or three times. You tried hard enough, didn't you, Lina, to find out what was the wonderful mystery between Rosalia and myself?"

"What, Uncle Pasquale!" exclaimed Lina, opening her eyes very wide, and letting go her sister's hand to jump from her seat, "Do you mean to say you both knew Emily and Uncle George were coming, and never told mamma and me? What a shame! what a shame! How COULD you let mamma worry herself so dreadfully about going to meet them?"

"Sit down, Lina, or you'll upset the boat," answered her uncle; "and let us talk quietly about this atrocious crime. Don't you think poor mamma would have trembled at every gust of wind had she known that her Emily was on the sea?"

"Ye-es!" said Lina, pouting as much as her happiness would let her, "but you ought to have told us. It was very unkind not to"Let me tell you something, little missy!" interrupted Mr. Gerard, who was aghast at Lina's impetuosity, and thankful that his charge, Emily, was of a quieter disposition. "If it had not been for Signor Altovito's pressing letter of invitation, which came to hand during your sister's illness, we should never have come to Sicily at all, so you should thank your worthy uncle instead of reproaching him."

"Do you remember the day you were so cross, because papa shut you out of the study?" whispered Rosalia, squeezing Lina's arm as they stepped on shore.

"That was when the letter was written, and I had to translate it into English, as mamma was not in the secret."

CHAPTER XVII.

A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS.

EVERY little girl blessed with a loving mamma can imagine poor Mrs. Gerard's thankful delight at this happy end to all her anxieties; and yet if all my readers are of the same opinion as the curlyheaded darling who is peeping over my shoulder while I write, I cannot finish this little story properly without saying something of that joyful meeting. When tired Emily, worn out by the long, rough passage, and still weak from her recent illness, was lifted out of the carriage, under the wide arched entrance of Uncle Pasquale's home, Lina would have rushed off in a frenzy of excitement to call her mother down; but Signor Altovito bade her restrain herself, and made her keep by his side, as,

P

slowly and carefully, he assisted Emily upstairs and into the antechamber. Through the curtains before the drawing-room door, they could hear Mrs. Gerard's low, sad voice, talking to Aunt Caroline.

"Now," he whispered to Lina, "run in and tell your mother I bring the best of tidings." Like an arrow from a bow, Lina sprang through the curtains, and gave her message in an oddly-shaking voice. Mrs. Gerard hurriedly came to the door. Uncle Pasquale gently pushed trembling, panting Emily into her mother's arms. There was a joyful cry from Aunt Caroline; happy Lina clung to her mother and sister in turn; Rosalia danced about the room; Uncle Pasquale kissed his wife, his sister-in-law, the three girls, then ran rapidly downstairs wiping his eyes; and rushing towards Mr. Gerard, who was again fussing over the courier, and the maid, and the loose luggage, threw both his arms round his neck, and kissed him Italian fashion on both cheeks, very much to that gentleman's surprise and consternation.