of the cheery little voice, as sweet as the chirp of a bird,
especially when she sung the funny song about the "Owl and the pussy-cat
in the pea-green boat," for she had charming ways, and was always making
quaint, wise, or loving remarks.

Well, "they sailed and they sailed," and came at last to Fayal, where
everything was so new and strange that Annie's big brown eyes could
hardly spare time to sleep, so busy were they looking about. The donkeys
amused her very much, so did the queer language and ways of the
Portuguese people round her, especially the very droll names given to
the hens of a young friend. The biddies seemed to speak the same dialect
as at home, but evidently they understood Spanish also, and knew their
own names, so it was fun to go and call Rio, Pico, Cappy, Clarissa,
Whorfie, and poor Simonena, whose breast-bone grew out so that she
could not eat and had to be killed.

But the thing which made the deepest impression on Annie was a visit to
a charity-school at the old convent of San Antonio. It was kept by some
kind ladies, and twenty-five girls were taught and cared for in the big,
bare place, that looked rather gloomy and forlorn to people from happy
Boston, where charitable institutions are on a noble scale, as everybody
knows.

Annie watched all that went on with intelligent interest, and when they
were shown into the play-room she was much amazed and afflicted to find
that the children had nothing to play with but a heap of rags, out of
which they made queer dolls, with ravelled twine for hair, faces rudely
drawn on the cloth, and funny boots on the shapeless legs. No other toys
appeared, but the girls sat on the floor of the great stone room,--for
there was no furniture,--playing contentedly with their poor dolls, and
smiling and nodding at "the little Americana," who gravely regarded this
sad spectacle, wondering how they could get on without china and waxen
babies, tea-sets, and pretty chairs and tables to keep house with.

The girls thought that she envied them their dolls, and presently one
came shyly up to offer two of their best, leaving the teacher to explain
in English their wish to be polite to their distinguished guest. Like
the little gentlewoman she was, Annie graciously accepted the ugly bits
of rag with answering nods and smiles, and carried them away with her as
carefully as if they were of great beauty and value.

But when she was at home she expressed much concern and distr