oner than that?" he asked, stroking her
hair and looking down lovingly, smilingly into her eyes.

"Oh, yes, indeed, papa! if it suits you to go and to take me," she
answered eagerly. "It seems now a long, long while that I have been
separated from Max, and the sooner I may go to see him the better. But
have you changed your plans about it?"

"Yes," he replied. "I have something to tell you both which will show
you why, and also prove pleasant news to you, I think."

Then he proceeded to tell them of the plans laid that afternoon at Ion,
and which made it necessary that, if he went to see Max at all that
winter, he must do so before the end of the week already begun.

His news that their winter was to be spent at Viamede was hailed with
delight by both the little girls.

"I am so glad!" cried Grace, clapping her hands and smiling all over her
face.

"I, too," exclaimed Lulu. "Viamede is so, _so_ beautiful, and to have
you there with us, you dear papa, will make us--me any way--enjoy it at
least twice as much as I did before."

"Me too," said Grace; "the happiest place for me is always where my own
dear father is with me," hugging him tight and kissing him again and
again.

"My darling! my precious darlings!" the captain said in response and
caressing them in turn.

"I'm so sorry for poor Maxie," remarked Grace presently, "that he can't
see you every day, papa, as we do, and be kissed and hugged as we are;
and that he can't go to Viamede with the rest of us." She finished with
a heavy sigh.

"Yes," her father said, "I am sorry for him, and for ourselves, that he
is not to be with us. But my dear boy is happy where he is, and I in the
thought that he is preparing himself to do good service to our country;
to be a valuable and useful citizen."

"And we are all ever so proud of him--our dear Maxie; but I'm glad I am
not a boy. Women can be very useful in the world too, can't they, papa?"

"Yes; yes, indeed, my darlings; the world couldn't go on without women,
any more than without men; both are necessary, and the one sex to be as
much honored as the other, and I hope and trust my daughters will all
grow up to be noble, true-hearted, useful women, always trying to do
earnestly and faithfully the work God has given them to do."

"I hope so, indeed, papa!" responded Lulu in an earnest, thoughtful
tone; "if I know my own heart I do want to be a very useful woman when
I'm grown up--a useful girl now--serving God w