Their signals were seen, and the ship took them home to
their friends, who had believed them to be dead."

"Do people who have been drowned--I mean who have been thought to be
drowned--ever come home _really_?" the child asked.

"Yes, really. Ida, my dear, I want you to remember that, as regards
the captain and the crew, this is a true story."

Ida clasped her hands passionately together.

"Oh, Mrs. Overtheway! Do you think Papa will ever come home?"

"My child! my dear child!" sobbed the little old lady. "I think he
will." ...

* * * * *

"And he _is_ alive--he is coming home!" Ida cried, as she recounted
Mrs. Overtheway's story to Nurse, who knew the principal fact of it
already. "And she told it to me in this way not to frighten me. I did
cry and laugh though, and was very silly; but she said I must not be
foolish, but brave like a captain's daughter, and that I ought to
thank GOD for being so good to me, when the children of the
other poor men who died will never have their fathers back in this
world: and I am thankful, so thankful! Only it is like a mill going in
my head, and I cannot help crying. And Papa wrote me a long letter
when he was on the island, and he sent it to Mrs. Overtheway because
Uncle Garbett told him that I was fond of her, and that she would tell
me nicely, and she was to read it, and to give it to me when she had
told me. And it is such a lovely letter, with all about the island,
and poor Barker, and dear old Carlo, and about the beautiful birds,
too, only Mrs. Overtheway made up a great deal of that herself. And
please, Nursey, take off my black frock and never let me see it again,
for the Captain is really coming home, and, oh! how I wish he would
come!"

The poor child was terribly excited, but her habits of obedience stood
her in good stead, for though she was vehemently certain that she
could not possibly go to sleep, in compliance with Nurse's wishes, she
went to bed, and there at last slept heavily and long; so that when
she awoke there was only just time to dress and be ready to meet her
father. She was putting out her treasures for him to look at, the
carved fans and workboxes, the beads and handkerchiefs and feathers,
the new letter and the old one--when the Captain came.

* * * * *

A week after the postman had delivered the letter which contained such
wonderful news for Ida, he brought another to Mrs. Overthe