ed, she did
not tell her good friend of the wild creature which had come so near to
her when she slept, and toward whom she had so friendly a feeling, and
Mrs. Stoddard, busy with her preparations for pie-making, did not speak
further of the wolf.

There was a good catch of fish that day, and Captain Enos came home
smiling and well pleased.

"If we could hope that the British ships would keep out of harbor we could
look forward to some comfort," he said, "but Starkweather had news from an
Ipswich fisherman that the 'Somerset' was cruising down the cape, and like
as not she'll anchor off the village some morning. And from what we hear,
her sailors find it good sport to lay hands on what they see."

The appearance of the beach-plum pie, warm from the oven, turned the
captain's thoughts to more pleasant subjects. "'Tis a clever child to find
ripe beach-plums in July," he said, as he cut Anne a liberal piece, "and a
bit of tartness gives it an excellent flavor. Well, well, it is surely a
pleasant thing to have a little maid in the house," and he nodded kindly
toward Anne.

After supper when Anne had gone up to her little chamber under the eaves,
and Captain Enos and Mrs. Stoddard were sitting upon their front door-step
enjoying the cool of the evening, Captain Enos said:

"Martha, Anne calls you Mistress Stoddard, does she not?"

"Always," answered his wife. "She is a most thoughtful and respectful
child. Never does she speak of thee, Enos, except to say 'Captain.' She
has been in the house for over two months now, and I see no fault in
her."

"A quick temper," responded Captain Enos, but his tone was not that of a
person who had discovered a fault. Indeed he smiled as he spoke,
remembering the flight of the Cary children.

"I would like well to have the little maid feel that we were pleased with
her," continued the captain slowly. "If she felt like calling me 'Father'
and you 'Mother,' I should see no harm in it, and perhaps 'twould be well
to have her name put on the town records as bearing our name, Anne
Stoddard?" and Captain Enos regarded his wife questioningly.

"It is what I have been wishing for, Enos!" exclaimed Mrs. Stoddard, "but
maybe 'twere better for the child to call us 'Uncle' and 'Aunt.' She does
not yet forget her own father, you see, and she might feel 'twere not
right to give another his name."

Captain Enos nodded approvingly. "A good and loyal heart she has, I know,"
he answered, "and 'twil