of course. Traverse has not
been able to accomplish his darling purpose of entering the Seminary
yet; but----"

"But I'm getting on quite well with my education, for all that,"
interrupted Traverse; "for I belong to Dr. Day's Bible class in the
Sabbath school, which is a class of young men, you know, and the doctor
is so good as to think that I have some mental gifts worth cultivating,
so he does not confine his instructions to me to the Bible class alone,
but permits me to come to him in his library at Willow Heights for an
hour twice a week, when he examines me in Latin and algebra, and sets me
new exercises, which I study and write out at night; so that you see I
am doing very well."

"Indeed, the doctor, who is a great scholar, and one of the trustees and
examiners of the Seminary, says that he does not know any young man
there, with all the advantages of the institution around him, who is
getting along so fast as Traverse is, with all the difficulties he has
to encounter. The doctor says it is all because Traverse is profoundly
in earnest, and that one of these days he will be----"

"There, mother, don't repeat all the doctor's kind speeches. He only
says such things to encourage a poor boy in the pursuit of knowledge
under difficulties," said Traverse, blushing and laughing.

"'--Will be an honor to his kindred, country and race!'" said Herbert,
finishing the widow's incomplete quotation.

"It was something like that, indeed," she said, nodding and smiling.

"You do me proud!" said Traverse, touching his forelock with comic
gravity. "But," inquired he, suddenly changing his tone and becoming
serious, "was it not--is it not--noble in the doctor to give up an hour
of his precious time twice a week for no other cause than to help a
poor, struggling fellow like me up the ladder of learning?"

"I should think it was! But he is not the first noble heart I ever heard
of!" said Herbert, with an affectionate glance that directed the
compliment. "Nor is his the last that you will meet with. I must tell
you the good news now."

"Oh, tell it, tell it! Have you got a ship of your own, Herbert?"

"No; nor is it about myself that I am anxious to tell you. Mrs. Rocke,
you may have heard that I had a rich uncle whom I had never seen,
because, from the time of my dear mother's marriage to that of her
death, she and her brother--this very uncle--had been estranged?"

"Yes," said the widow, speaking in a very low tone and