bags of
grain from the packet. Mr. Leicester invited one of his old
acquaintances who asked many questions to come out and see the cat-boat,
and as Betty hurried up the street to the house she saw over her
shoulder that a large company in small leaky crafts had surrounded the
pretty Starlight like pirates. It was apt to be very dull in Tideshead
for many of the idle citizens, and Mr. Leicester's return was always
hailed with delight. It was nearly tea-time, so that Betty could not go
over to tell Mary Beck the good news; but one white handkerchief,
meaning _Come over_, was quickly displayed on the pear-tree branch, and
while Betty was getting dressed in a much-needed fresh gown for tea
Becky kindly appeared, and was delighted with the good news. She had
seen the Starlight already from a distance.

"My father used to have a splendid sailboat," said fatherless Becky with
much wistfulness, and Betty put her arms round her and gave her a warm
kiss. Sometimes it seemed that whatever one had the other lacked.

XVI.

DOWN THE RIVER.

THERE was a great stirring about and opening and shutting of kitchen
doors early the next morning but one. Betty had been anxious the day
before to set forth on what she was pleased to call a long cruise in the
Starlight, but Mr. Leicester said that he must give up the morning to
his letters, and after that came a long business talk with Aunt Barbara
in the library, where she sat before her capacious secretary and
produced some neat packages of papers from a little red morocco trunk
which Betty had never seen before. To say truth, Aunt Barbara was a
famous business woman and quite the superior of her nephew in financial
matters, but she deferred to him meekly, and in fact gained some
long-desired information about a northwestern city in which Mr.
Leicester had lately been obliged to linger for two or three days.

It was a day of clear hot sunshine and light breeze, not in the least a
good day for sailing; but Betty was just as much disappointed to be kept
at home as if it had been, and after breakfast she loitered about in
idleness, with a look of dark disapproval, until papa suddenly faced
about and held her before him by her two shoulders, looking gravely into
her eyes, which fell at once.

"Don't be cross, Betty," he said quietly; "we shall play all the better
if we don't forget our work. What is there to do first? Where's 'Things
to be Done'?"

Betty dipped into her pocket an