g to have a happy winter here."

"I'm sure we will; I'm happy anywhere with you, my dear, dear papa,"
said Grace, putting an arm round his neck and pressing her lips to his
cheek.

"So am I," said Lulu, "unless I have been doing wrong, and papa is
displeased with me. Oh, I do mean to try my very hardest to be good! and
I'm sure it will be ever so much easier with you for my tutor, dear
papa, than it was before, going to that horrid school and having to take
music lessons from that Signor Foresti, who was so ill-tempered and
struck me, when I was trying as hard as I could to play my piece just
right."

"Yes, daughter, I think it will be easier for you with the tutor who
loves you and is loved by you," assented the captain, drawing her into a
close, loving embrace. "We must see if a music teacher is to be had
here, but certainly will not try Signor Foresti again."

"Oh, I am glad to hear you say that, papa! though I never thought you
would send me back to him again. I am, oh, so glad I belong to you
instead of to--anybody else."

"So am I," he responded, with a happy little laugh.

"And that I do too, papa?" asked Grace, in a half-pleading tone.

"Yes, yes, my own darling," he said, addressing her with great
tenderness. "You are no less dear than your sister."

"How good in you, papa! for I'm not half so bright or pretty as Lu," she
said, patting his cheek with her small white hand.

"Why, Gracie!" exclaimed Lulu, "whatever put such a thing as that into
your head? You are far prettier, and better too, than I am. Isn't she,
papa?"

"You must not ask me such hard questions," he returned laughingly, and
hugging them both up in his arms, "I really could not say that either
one is prettier or dearer to me than the other, or that I love either
more or less than I do each of the other three. The love differs
somewhat in kind, but, I think, not in intensity."

"Yes, papa, I suppose so," returned Lulu thoughtfully; "for instance you
must have quite a different sort of love for Max, who is almost old
enough to take care of himself, and baby Ned who is so very young and
helpless."

Violet joined them at that moment, reported the babies as fast asleep in
the nursery, and consulted her husband as to what rooms they should
occupy during their stay; saying her mother had kindly bade them please
themselves in regard to that matter.

"Choose for yourself, my dear," replied the captain, "and I shall be
entirely satisfied;