y laugh. "There must have
been a vast improvement, however, before I had the happiness of making
his acquaintance."

"Max's?" he queried with mock gravity.

"The acquaintance of Max's father, sir," she replied demurely. "I have
known the captain now for five years, and can truly say I have never
seen him show such vanity and conceit as you are pleased to charge him
with, or at least to say were once among his attributes; and I will not
have him slandered, even by you."

"Very well, then, let us change the subject of discourse."

"Agreed. How soon do we leave Annapolis to pursue our homeward way?"

"A little after midnight, if that plan suits my wife's wishes."

"Entirely. But you are not going to remain on deck till then?"

"Probably. I feel no inclination for sleep at present, and the air
outside here is, as you remarked a moment since, delightful."

"Especially when enjoyed in such good company, I presume?"

"Yes, that makes a vast difference, of course, yet I can hardly ask you
to stay very long with me; cannot have the cruelty to rob my heart's
best treasure--my young and lovely wife--of her beauty sleep."

"What a gallant speech!" she laughed; "it surely deserves the reward of
at least another half hour of her delectable society. Ah, my best and
dearest of husbands," she added in a more serious tone, "there is
nothing else in the world I so keenly enjoy as these rare times when I
can have you all to myself."

"Yet I cannot believe they are ever more enjoyable to you than to me, my
love," he returned; "sweet as your society was to me in the days of our
courtship, it is, I think, even sweeter now. And I hope mine is not less
enjoyable to you."

"Indeed, no," she said earnestly; "you seem to grow dearer and more
lovable every day that we live together; a blessing far, far beyond my
deserts. Oh, I can never cease to marvel that I have won so great a
prize in the matrimonial lottery."

"It is wondrous strange," he returned, with a happy laugh, "that a
young, beautiful girl, belonging to one of the very best families in the
land, and who might have had her pick and choice among its most
desirable matches, should have been able to secure a middle-aged widower
with three children. You may well wonder at so great good fortune
falling to your lot, lady mine," with a strong emphasis upon that last
word.

"Ah, my husband, you could hardly bestow upon me a sweeter name than
that," she said softly, and with a br