ty exclaimed, as she stood in the middle of the
large room which had been assigned to David.

It was the second day since their arrival at the Petersons' house, and
their delight at everything was not only amusing to Mrs. Peterson but
somewhat pathetic as well. She could not account for the girl's
remarkable care of the old man. She would allow nothing to interfere
with her attention upon him, and she arranged a cosy spot by the big
north window where he could sit and listen to the sound of his beloved
falls.

"You will spoil him," Mrs. Peterson told her once when they were alone
in the kitchen. "You will make him as helpless as a child. It is not
good for men to be waited upon too much."

"Are you not afraid of spoiling your husband, then, Mrs. Peterson?"
Betty replied. "You treat him just like a child."

"Oh, but he is an invalid, and can't help himself. That is the reason
why I have to wait upon him."

"But Mr. David is a wonder," Betty insisted, "and he must not be
neglected."

There was such an expression of admiration in the girl's eyes that Mrs.
Peterson had not the heart to smile at her enthusiasm.

"In what way is he a wonder?" was all she asked, as she went on with
her work.

"Oh, he has a great thing in his head, which he is thinking about all
the time. It has to do with the falls, and he has told me a whole lot
about it. He will be very rich some day, and we are going to have such
a nice house of our own. You see, I am to be his housekeeper, and
nurse him when he is sick."

It was a great pleasure for Captain Peterson to have David and Betty at
the house. No longer did he have to sit alone for hours upon the
verandah as he had an audience now to listen to his tales of the sea
and the places he had visited. David was a good listener and enjoyed
hearing the yarns, although he kept one ear open for the sound of the
falls. Nothing must interfere with his interest up there.

One afternoon the captain was speaking about England, and mentioned
Liverpool. David became unusually interested, and even let his pipe go
out as he sat with his eyes fixed intently upon the captain's face.

"You seem to know Liverpool pretty well," he at length remarked, as the
captain paused to re-light his pipe.

"Should say so," was the reply. "Guess I know about everything there
worth knowing, especially along shipping lines."

"There must be some big firms there, eh?"

"Big! I should say so. Why, I coul