"I should have no difficult with you, at any rate," said Henry. "You would stay with Jessy when you were tired, and at other times I dare say you would like to go with me. As for Papa, you know if he once agreed to let me rule the party, he would submit to all that I wished if it was but reasonable, and therefore he would let me do everything I liked, and perhaps take his own course-call upon some old friend, or study geology when I took a day's fishing."

"I am afraid," said Mrs. Gray, again laughing, "that your party of pleasure has dwindled down, even in idea, to pleasure for one, with the rest taking their chance. But as you are not very likely to be entrusted with the office of director, I will not alarm myself too much about the consequences of your mistake."

"Mistake! do you call it?" asked Henry, looking very much surprised, "I am sure I know what pleasure is, if anybody does."

"Your own pleasure, perhaps," replied his mother; "but we were speaking of parties of pleasure, in which many different characters, with their various tastes and inclinations, have to be taken into account."

"But one cannot please everybody," observed Henry, very naturally.

"No," replied his mother. "But having collected a number of persons together for an express purpose, the next thing to be considered, is, how to meet their dif

ferent views as nearly as possible. Suppose, for instance, two delicate persons travelling in a carriage together, one distressed by heat, and the other by cold. The contest ought not to be, which of these two shall have their entire wish about the windows of the carriage being all up, or all down; but which shall give up most to the other, by which means, they will arrive at a medium course, and thus adjust the matter in the fairest manner, by having half the windows closed, and half open.

"It is precisely the same with regard to partics of pleasure, for enjoyment admits of calculation as well as other things. Where a number of persons meet together for the express purpose of enjoying themselves, that course will always be found the best to pursue, which affords the greatest amount of pleasure to all, not even leaving out the unreasonable and capricious, for if they are not to be pleased as well as others, why are they invited?

"These remarks, however, apply only to persons who have the general arrangement of parties of pleasure. After doing the best we can, there may still be some unfortunate marplot of the party-some selfish girl, or wayward boy-or, not to be too severe upon the juvenile class, some fanciful lady, or arbitrary gentleman, who may spoil the pleasure of the whole."

"Yes, and I am sadly afraid about Aunt Fletcher," observed Henry, shaking his head with a very knowing

look, as if he understood all about it. "But we shall soon see," he added, "for to-morrow-to-morrow we go!" And he flew into the garden, where he found his sister Jessy, and snatching her by the arm without a moment's warning, wheeled her round, and then made her run over the lawn with him until the fever of his anticipations had in some measure exhausted itself.

A few days after this conversation had taken place, the happy party were on their way into Derbyshire, to visit some of the most remarkable scenes in that interesting county. Their first halting-place was at the house of a friend of Mrs. Gray's, where Henry and his sister were neither of them quite sufficiently at home to exhibit their peculiar views of what properly belongs to a party of pleasure, though Henry often thought, in the secret of his own mind, that his mother had been both too strict, and too calculating, in her definition. "Pleasure," he said to himself, "should be something that arises on the occasion, that cannot properly be prepared for beforehand. To enjoy oneself thoroughly, is to do exactly as one likes.” Nor, in this respect, was Henry's definition very different from that which would be given by many older persons than himself.

An opportunity soon occurred for the young traveller to bring his opinions on this subject to the test. The friend of Mr. Gray had at that time more than one party staying in his house. The weather was delightful, and the scenery