as
saucy to "Aunt Beulah," and sometimes helped herself to food, but excusing
it on the plea that otherwise she too would be half starved; and that poor
Max was often beaten and abused by Mr. Fox for just nothing at all.

Max's letter was much longer, as he went more into detail, and was not
finished for several days. When it was he inclosed it and Lulu's, which
she had given into his charge, in one of the envelopes that he had found
in his desk ready stamped and directed, and mailed it to his father.

These letters reached Ion on New Year's morning. The captain read them
with deep concern, first to himself, then to Mrs. Travilla and Violet, as
they happened to be alone together in the parlor.

The hearts of both ladies were deeply touched, and their eyes filled with
tears as they listened to the story of the wrongs of the poor motherless
children.

"Oh, captain, you will not leave them there where they are so ill used?"
Vi said almost imploringly; "it breaks my heart to think of their
sufferings!"

"Don't let it distress you, my dear girl," he replied soothingly; "we
should perhaps make some allowance for unintentional exaggeration. There
are always two sides to a story, and we have but one here."

"But told in a very straightforward way," Elsie said with warmth. "Both
letters seem to me to bear the stamp of truth. Depend upon, it, captain,
there is good ground for their complaints."

"I fear so," he said, "and am quite as anxious, my dear Mrs. Travilla, as
you could wish to set my dear children free from such tyranny; but what
can I do? In obedience to orders, I must return to my vessel to-morrow and
sail at once for a distant foreign port. I cannot go to see about my
darlings, and I know of no better place to put them. I shall, however,
write to Mrs. Scrimp, directing her to have immediately the best medical
advice for Gracie, and to follow it, feeding her as the doctor directs.
Also always to give Lulu as much as she wants of good, plain, wholesome
food. I shall also write to Fox, giving very particular directions in
regard to the management of my son."

CHAPTER XV.

"Great minds, like heaven, are pleased in doing good."
--_Rowe_.

Capt. Raymond's departure left Violet more lonely than his coming had
found her, much as she was at that time missing her elder sister and
brother.

They were to correspond, but as he would sail immediately for a foreign