which for grace and
expressiveness Reuben had certainly never seen in any girl of Ashfield.
His eyes twinkled at it.

"Were you afraid?" said he.

"Oh, not much."

"Because you know," said Reuben, consolingly, "if the ship had sunk, you
could have come on shore in the small boats." He saw a merry laugh of
wonderment threatening in her face, and continued authoritatively, "Nat
Boody has been in a sloop, and he says they always carry small boats to
pick up people when the big ships go down."

Adele laughed outright. "But how would they carry the bread, and the
stove, and the water, and the anchor, and all the things? Besides, the
great waves would knock a small boat in pieces."

Reuben felt a humiliating sense of being no match for the little
stranger on sea topics, so he changed the theme.

"Are you going to Miss Onthank's?"

"_That's_ a funny name," says Adele; "that's the school, isn't it? Yes,
I suppose I'll go there: you go, don't you?"

"Yes," says Reuben, "but I don't think I'll go very long."

"Why not?" says Adele.

"I'm getting too big to go to a girls' school," said Reuben.

"Oh!"--and there was a little playful malice in the girl's observation
that piqued the boy.

"Do the scholars like her?" continued Adele.

"Pretty well," said Reuben; "but she hung up a little girl about as big
as you, once, upon a nail in a corner of the school-room."

"_Quelle bete!_" exclaimed Adele.

"That's French, isn't it?"

"Yes, and it means she's a bad woman to do such things."

In this way they prattled on, and grew into a certain familiarity: the
boy entertaining an immense respect for her French, and for her
knowledge of the sea and ships; but stubbornly determined to maintain
the superiority which he thought justly to belong to his superior age
and sex.

That evening, after the little people were asleep, the spinster and the
Doctor conferred together in regard to Adele. It was agreed between them
that she should enter at once upon her school duties, and that
particular inquiry concerning her religious beliefs, particular
instruction on that score,--further than what belonged to the judicious
system of Miss Onthank,--should be deferred for the present. At the same
time the Doctor enjoined upon his sister the propriety of commencing
upon the next Saturday evening the usual instructions in the Shorter
Catechism, and of insisting upon punctual attendance upon the family
devotions. The good Doctor hoped by t