he said heartily, "And I shall try my
best to have as good a report as possible ready for you, papa, that you
may be proud and happy in your first-born son. Ah, the thought of that
does help me to study hard and try very, very earnestly to keep rules,
so that I may be an honor, and not a disgrace to the best of fathers."

"Yes, I am sure of it, my dear boy," the captain replied, laying his
hand on the lad's shoulder, while the light of fatherly love and pride
shone in his eyes; "I haven't a doubt that it is one of my son's
greatest pleasures to make himself the joy and pride of his father's
heart."

They drove back to the Academy just in time for Max to be ready to
report himself at evening roll-call, according to the rules, with which
no one was better acquainted than the captain.

He and the little girls were to start on their return journey that
evening, and good-by was said at the Academy door.

A very hard one it seemed to the little girls, hardly less so to Max and
his father. The captain and his daughters went by boat, as less
fatiguing for Grace, and reached home on Monday.

The next day was a busy one to all, and Wednesday noon saw them on the
cars, bound for New Orleans.

A day and night were spent in the city, then they took the steamer for
Berwick Bay.

The morning was clear and bright and the captain, Violet, and the
children all sat upon deck, greatly enjoying the breeze and the dancing
of the waves in the sunlight, as the vessel cleared its port and steamed
out into the gulf.

"Oh, it is so pleasant here!" exclaimed Grace; "just like summer. And
see the beautiful rainbow in the water that the wheel throws up!"

"Oh, yes; so pretty, oh, so pretty!" cried little Elsie, clapping her
hands in delight.

"Oh, so pitty!" echoed baby Ned.

"Take care, little ones; I fear you may fall overboard," warned the
captain. "Come and sit on papa's knee, and perhaps mamma will kindly
tell us of all the lovely things we will see at Viamede."

They obeyed and were charmed with mamma's story of what she had done and
seen at Viamede when she was a little girl, and of dear grandma being
once a baby girl in the very same house, and how dearly all the old
servants loved her, and how they mourned when she was taken away to live
with her grandpa at Roseland.

The babies and even the older folks, not excepting papa himself, seemed
deeply interested, and more delighted than before that they were so soon
to see Viame