aughter,
eh?" he returned with a smile, and playfully patting the hand which he
held.

"Ah, papa, I do not often object by word or look to your decisions
nowadays, do I?" she said half-imploringly.

"No, it has been a very rare thing for a very long while now," he
said with a tenderly affectionate look--"so rare that I really believe
my dear eldest daughter has come to have full faith in her father's
wisdom and love for her."

"Indeed, papa, I don't doubt either in the very least," she exclaimed
with an energy that brought an amused smile to her father's lips and
eyes.

"Good-morning, papa!" cried a sweet child voice at that moment; "here
we come, and mamma will follow in a very few minutes." And with that
Elsie and Ned came bounding across the deck to their father's side. He
welcomed both with kind greetings and fatherly caresses.

"Is your sister Grace up yet?" he asked, and Elsie answered: "Yes,
sir; and almost dressed. She opened her door as I was going by, and
gave me a kiss, and told me to tell papa she would be ready to go up
to breakfast in a very few minutes!"

"Ah," he said; "I fear she may hurry too much for her feeble strength.
Neddie, boy, go down to the cabin, knock at your sister's door, and
tell her papa says it is so early yet that she need not hurry with
her dressing. We will wait till she and mamma are quite ready to go up
to the house."

"I will, papa," was the ready and cheerful response, as the little
fellow turned to obey, but then he paused with the exclamation, "Oh,
here they come--both of them!"

The captain rose to exchange morning greetings with his wife and
daughter, then all set out for the cottage on the hill.

They found the other guests gathered on the front porch, and when
morning salutations had been exchanged they fell into conversation,
breakfast being not quite ready. The question was at once proposed how
and where they should spend the day, and when the captain told of his
plan in regard to that, it was hailed with delight. No one could think
of anything better, and it was decided that they would start very
shortly after finishing their morning meal.

"Will it be a long voyage, captain?" asked Sydney in a jesting tone.

"Something less than crossing the Atlantic," he returned with becoming
gravity.

"It certainly is, captain," Evelyn said with a smile. Then turning to
Sydney, "Kingston is ninety-three miles north of New York."

"Oh, well then, one will not need to