they followed him, and he gave them a good seat at
one of the tables. As soon as the children were seated, the waiter said,
addressing Rollo,--

"Will you have soup?"

"Yes," said Rollo.

"And will the young lady take soup, too?" he asked again.

"Yes," said Rollo; "both of us."

While the waiter was gone to get the soup, Rollo and Jane had an
opportunity of looking around the room and observing how very different
it was in its fixtures and furniture from a dining room on land. Instead
of windows, there were only round holes in the sides of the ship, about
a foot in diameter. For a sash, there was only one round and exceedingly
thick and strong pane of glass, set in an iron frame, and opening
inwards, on massive hinges. On the side of this frame, opposite the
hinges, was a strong clamp and screw, by means of which the frame could
be screwed up very tight, in order to exclude the water in case of heavy
seas. The tables were fitted with a ledge all around the outside, to
keep the dishes from sliding off. Above each table, and suspended from
the ceiling, was a long shelf of beautiful wood, with racks and sockets
in it of every kind, for containing wineglasses, tumblers, decanters,
and such other things as would be wanted from time to time upon the
table. Every one of these glasses was in a place upon the shelf
expressly fitted to receive and retain it; so that it might be held
securely, and not allowed to fall, however great might be the motion of
the ship.

There were no chairs at the tables. The seats consisted of handsomely
cushioned settees, with substantial backs to them. It was upon one of
these settees, and near the end of it, that Rollo and Jane were seated.

When the soup was brought, the children ate it with great satisfaction.
They found it excellent; and, besides that, they had excellent
appetites. After the soup, the waiter brought them some roasted potatoes
and butter, and also some slices of cold roast beef. When the roast beef
came, Jane exclaimed to Rollo,--

"Ah! I am very glad to see that. It is just the thing for Tiger."

Then she turned round and said to the waiter,--

"Can I take a piece of this meat to give to my kitten?"

"Your kitten?" said the waiter. "Have you got a kitten on board?"

"Yes," said Jane.

"Where is she?" asked the waiter.

"I left her in the cabin," said Jane, "by the end of a sofa. She is in
her cage."

The waiter smiled to hear this statement. Jane had been, in