fact, a
little afraid to ask for meat for her kitten, supposing it possible that
the waiter might think that she ought not to have brought a kitten on
board. But the truth was, the waiter was very glad to hear of it. He was
glad for two reasons. In the first place, the monotony and dulness of
sea life are so great, that those who live in ships are usually glad to
have any thing occur that is extraordinary or novel. Then, besides, he
knew that it was customary with passengers, when they gave the waiters
any unusual trouble, to compensate them for it fully when they reached
the end of the voyage; and he presumed, therefore, that if he had a
kitten to take care of, as well as the children themselves, their
father, whom he had no doubt was on board would remember it in his fee.
So, when Jane told him where the kitten was, he said he would go and
bring her out into the dining saloon, and give her some of the meat
there, as soon as the passengers had finished their luncheon, so that he
could be spared from the table.

Accordingly, when the proper time arrived, the waiter went aft, to the
cabin, and very soon returned, bringing the cage with him.

He seemed quite pleased with his charge; and several of the passengers,
who met him as they were going out of the saloon, stopped a moment to
see what he had got in the cage, and Jane was much gratified at hearing
one of them say,--

"What a pretty kitten! Whose is it, waiter?"

The waiter put the cage down upon a side table, and then carried a plate
of meat to the place, and put it in the cage. Jane and Rollo went to
see. While the kitten was eating her meat, the waiter said that he would
go and get some milk for her. He accordingly went away again; but he
soon returned, bringing a little milk with him in a saucer. The kitten,
having by this time finished eating her meat, set herself eagerly at the
work of lapping up the milk, which she did with an air of great
satisfaction.

"There!" said the waiter, "bring her out here whenever she is hungry,
and I will always have something for her. When you come at meal times,
you will see me at the table. If you come at any other time, and you
don't see me, ask for Alfred. My name is Alfred."

Jane and Rollo both said to Alfred that they were very much obliged to
him, and then, observing that nearly all the passengers had left the
dining saloon and had returned to the cabin, they determined to go too.
So they went back through the same