th; and after keeping me and the children
with him, it may be two or three months, will accompany me home again
himself with a great retinue of servants and relations; or, at least, if
he is either dead or unable for flight, my other relations will come or
send a convoy to take care of me and the children; and, my dear, as I
shall give them all the encomiums I can of you, and of my situation with
you, while I am among them, I would have them a little taken with the
elegance of our domestic condition when they come hither, that they
may think me happy in you and my children; for I would not only put my
family into a condition to appear before them, but to surprise the old
gentleman and his company, who never in their lives saw any part of
mankind with another covering than the graundee." When she had done, I
expressed my approbation of her whole system, as altogether prudent,
and she proceeded immediately to put it in execution. To work she went,
opened every chest, and examined their contents. But while she was upon
the hunt, and selecting such things as she thought fit for her purpose,
she recollected several articles she had observed in the ship, which
she judged far more for her turn than any she had at home. Hereupon she
prayed me to let her take another trip to the vessel, and to carry Tommy
with her.

After so many trials, and such happy experience of her wise and
fortunate conduct, I consented to her flight, and away went she and her
son. Upon their return, which was in a few days, she told me what they
had been doing, and said, as she so often heard me complain of the age
of my boat, and fear to sail in her, she had fitted me out a little
ship, and hoped it would in due time arrive safely. As she passed
quickly on to other things, I never once thought of asking her what
she meant by the little ship she spoke of; but must own that, like a
foolishly fond parent, I was more intent on her telling me how Tommy had
found a hoard of playthings, which he had packed up for his own use.

As to this last particular, I learned by the sequel of the story,
when the spark, proud of his acquisition, came to me, that he had been
peeping about in the cabin whilst his mother was packing the chests, and
seeing a small brass knob in the wainscot, took it for a plaything, and
pulling to get it out, opened a little door of a cupboard, where he
had found some very pretty toys that he positively claimed for himself,
among which were a