ary now and ought to go at once to our beds."

"Then good-night, mamma, dear. May you sleep sweetly and peacefully and
wake again fully rested," Violet said, giving her mother a fond embrace.

"And you also, daughter. May He who neither slumbers nor sleeps have you
and yours in his safe keeping through the silent watches of the night,"
responded her mother, returning the embrace.

The captain had lingered on the deck as usual, to give his orders for the
night, and Lucilla waited about for the bit of petting as she termed it,
of which she was so fond.

"Ah, so you are still here, daughter!" he said in his usual kind, fatherly
tones as he turned and found her at his side. "Have you something to say
to your father?" putting his arm about her and holding her close as
something precious.

"Only the usual story--that I love my father dearly, dearly, and don't
like to go to bed without telling him so and getting a caress that nobody
else will know anything about."

"A great secret that doubtless the whole world would be glad to discover!"
he laughed, bestowing them without stint. "Is my little girl unhappy,
about--anything? and wanting her father to comfort her?" he asked, looking
keenly into her face.

"Unhappy, father? here in your arms and perfectly certain of your dear
love?" she exclaimed, lifting to his eyes full of joy and love. "No,
indeed! I don't believe there is a happier girl in the land or in the
whole world for that matter. Oh, you are so good to me and all your
children! How very generous you were to-day to Grace and me in letting us
buy so many lovely presents to carry home with us! I am often afraid,
papa, that you do without things yourself to give the more to us. Oh, I
hope you don't!"

"You need not be at all troubled on that score" he said, patting her cheek
and smiling down into her eyes. "I have abundance of means and can well
allow my daughters such pleasures. 'It is more blessed to give than to
receive,' and when I give to you, and you use my gift in procuring
something for another, it gives us both a taste of that blessedness."

"So it does, papa, and oh, what a good place this is for making
purchases! there are so many, many lovely things to be found in the
various buildings."

"And we meet so many relatives and friends from various quarters. But that
gives us the pain of a good many partings," and again he looked keenly at
her as he spoke.

"Yes, sir," she said, "but one can always hope