be
proud to claim as his sisters--and friend. Evelyn, I suppose, would
hardly let me claim her as a sister."

"I don't know," laughed his father; "she once very willingly agreed to
a proposition from me to adopt her as my daughter."

"Yes? I think she might well be glad enough to do that; but to take me
for a brother would not perhaps be quite so agreeable."

"Well, your Mamma Vi objecting to having so old a daughter, we agreed
to consider ourselves brother and sister; so I suppose you can
consider her your aunt, if you wish."

"There now, father, what a ridiculous idea!" laughed Max.

"Not so very," returned his father, "since aunts are sometimes younger
than their nephews."

But they had reached the yacht and the conversation went no farther.
In another moment they were on deck, and the dear relatives and
friends there crowding about Max to tell of their joy in having him in
their midst again and in knowing that he had so successfully finished
his course of tuition and fully entered upon the profession chosen as
his life work.

Max, blushing with pleasure, returned hearty thanks and expressed his
joy in being with them again. "The two years of absence have seemed a
long time to be without a sight of your dear faces," he said, "and I
feel it a very great pleasure to be with you all again."

"And it will be a delight to get home once more, won't it?" asked
Grace, hanging lovingly on his arm.

"Indeed it will," he responded; "and getting aboard the dear old yacht
seems like a long step in that direction; particularly as all the
family and so many other of my dear friends are here to welcome me."

"Well, we're starting," said Ned. "The sailors have lifted anchor and
we begin to move down stream."

At that a silence fell upon the company, all gazing out upon the
wintry landscape and the vessels lying at anchor in the river as they
passed them one after another. But a breeze had sprung up, the air was
too cool for comfort, and presently all went below.

Then came the call to the table, where they found an abundance of good
cheer awaiting them. The meal was enlivened by much cheerful chat, Max
doing his full share of it in reply to many questions in regard to his
experiences during the two years of his absence; especially of the
last few weeks in which he had not been heard from, except in a rather
hurried announcement of his arrival at Annapolis. They were all making
much of the fine young fellow, but, as hi