ally retires quietly behind
Mrs Adams's chair, and Charlie, growing desperate, makes wild dashes,
tumbling into the corner among the tables and stools, sending the
staggerers spinning in all directions, and finally pitching headlong
into Mrs Adams's lap.

At last he catches John Adams himself and as there is no possibility of
mistaking him, the handkerchief is changed, and the game becomes more
sedate, at the same time more nervous, for the stride of the seaman is
awful, and the sweep of his outstretched arms comprehensive. Besides,
he has a way of listening and making sudden darts in unexpected
directions, which is very perplexing.

After a few failures, Adams makes what he calls a wild roll to
starboard, followed instantly by a heavy lurch to port, and pins Dan
McCoy into a corner.

"Ha! I've grabbed you at last, have I?" says he.

"Who is it?" shout half-a-dozen voices.

"Who but Dan'l? There's impudence in the very feel of his hair."

So Dan is blindfolded. And now comes the tug of war. If it was fast
and furious before, it is maniacal madness now. The noise is
indescribable, yet it fails to waken two infants, who, with expressions
of perfect peace on their innocent faces, repose in two bunks at one
side of the room.

At last Thursday October tumbles into one of these bunks, and all but
immolates an infant. Mrs Adams is fairly overturned; one table comes
by a damaged leg, the other is split lengthwise, and one of the candles
is blown out. These symptoms are as good as a weather-glass to Adams.

"Now, then, one and all, it's time for bed," he says.

Instantly the rioting comes to a close, and still panting from their
exertions, the elder children carry out the tables and rectify their
damages as well as may be, while the younger range the stools round the
wall and sit down on them or on the floor.

"Fetch the Bible and Prayer-book, Matt Quintal," says Adams.

They are about to close the evening with worship. It has become
habitual now, and there is no difficulty in calming the spirits of the
children to the proper tone, for they have been trained by a man who is
unaffected and sincere. They slide easily, because naturally, from gay
to grave; and they would as soon think of going to work without
breakfast, as of going to rest without worship.

A chapter is read with comparative ease by John Adams, for he has
applied himself heartily to his task, and overcome most of his old
difficulties. Then