leamed
whitely. Noll's first pang of genuine homesickness came upon him here.
It seemed as if he had not a friend this side of the wide, dark sea.

This second summons met with no better success than the first. Noll
turned away, went back down the steps, and there stopped to look about
him. He discovered some straggling footprints in the sand leading
around the corner of the house, and these he followed for lack of a
better guide. They led him to a long, low projection from the main
body of the house, a kitchen it appeared to be, and here he found a
wide-open door, from whence came the strains of a hymn half chanted,
half sung. Noll rapped. The singing ceased. A slow step came across
the kitchen floor, and a voice said, "Bress us! who's dis?"

Noll looked up at the wrinkled black face framed by a great yellow
turban, and said,--

"I'm Noll Trafford. Didn't--didn't Uncle Richard expect me?"

Old Hagar threw up both hands crying, shrilly, "Bress de Lord! is dis
Noll Trafford's boy?" and then stared blankly at him.

"Yes, if you mean Uncle Richard's brother," said Noll, still very
sad-hearted; "and wasn't he looking for me at all?"

"Bress ye, honey!" said Hagar, recovering her senses, "he didn't say
one single word to me 'bout ye! Dun forgot it, I 'spose. But don't ye
stan' on dem yer steps another minnit; come right in, honey. I'll see
Mas'r Dick dis instant."

Noll followed her into the little kitchen, where on the hearth a fire
was crackling and flashing its red flicker over the walls. He sat down
on a rough wooden bench by the door, wondering if his uncle could
really have forgotten that he was coming, and feeling not all
light-hearted, while Hagar clattered away to "see Mas'r Dick." She
came back pretty quick, saying,--

"You's to go right in to de lib'ry, chile, right in jes' as soon as I
git dis yer candle lit;" and getting down on her knees she puffed away
at the coals and burned splinters till she succeeded in coaxing her
tallow candle to burn. She got up, came back to where Noll was
sitting, and holding the light close to his face, looked down at him
long and steadily.

"Bress de Lord!" she said, stroking his curly hair, "you's de bery
picter ob yer father. 'Pears like 'twas him I see'd dis minnit 'fore
me! Did ye drop down frum de sky, or what, chile?"

"I came down on the 'White Gull,'" Noll answered.

"Well, now!" said Hagar; "an' why didn't yer father come too?"

"Papa?