“I should like to if I were old enough,” said the child, dropping her eyes and blushing as she perceived that at that moment she was the object of the attention of every one at the table.

“We will consider you so, my dear,” laughed Mr. Allison.  “Come, give us the benefit of your ideas.”

Still Elsie hesitated till her father said pleasantly, “Yes, daughter, let us have them.  We can reject or adopt them as we see fit.”

“Yes, papa,” she returned.  “I was just thinking that Valley Forge and Paoli are both in this State, and I should like very much to see them both.”

“I call that a very good idea,” said Mr. Edward Allison.  “I have always intended to visit those historical places, but have never done so yet.”

“Then let us go,” said Rose, “for I, too, should like very much to see them; if the plan suits you, Mr. Dinsmore,” she added, giving him a smiling glance.

“Perfectly,” he said; “it will be a new and interesting experience to me, as I have never visited either spot, though quite familiar with their history, as doubtless you all are.”

“Then we may consider that matter as settled,” remarked Edward with satisfaction.

Elsie hardly knew whether to be more glad or sorry when the time came for the final leave-taking; but the joyful thought that Miss Rose was to accompany them fairly turned the scale in favor of the former feeling; and though she brushed away a tear or two at parting from Sophy, she set off with a bright and happy face.

They spent several weeks most delightfully in travelling about from place to place, going first to Valley Forge—­a little valley so called because a man named Isaac Potts had a forge there on a creek which empties into the Schuylkill River.  He was an extensive iron manufacturer.  The valley is a deep, short hollow, seemingly scooped out from a low, rugged mountain.

The Americans had their camp on a range of hills back of the village, Washington his quarters at the house of Isaac Potts.  It was a stone building standing near the mouth of the creek.  Our friends were invited in by a cheerful old lady living there, and shown Washington’s room.  It was very small, but they found it interesting.  The old lady took them into it, and, leading-the way to an east window, said:  “From here Washington could look to those slopes yonder and see a large part of his camp.”  Then, lifting a blue sill, she showed a little trap-door and beneath it a cavity, which she said had been arranged by Washington as a hiding place for his papers.

On leaving that house, our little party went to view the ruins of an old flour-mill near by.