qualities of
sea-going vessels, but even with these great advantages he may find it a
very difficult thing to buy, ready to his hand, a suitable steam yacht.
The truth of this statement was acknowledged by Mr. Burke after he had
spent nearly a month in Boston, New York, and various points between
these cities, and, after advertising, inquiring, and investigating the
subject in all possible ways, found nothing which he could recommend
Mrs. Cliff to purchase.

He wrote to her a great many letters during this period, all of which
were interesting, although there were portions of many of them which she
did not quite understand, being expressed in a somewhat technical
fashion. Burke liked to write letters. It was a novel experience for him
to have time to write and something to write about. He had been better
educated than the ordinary sailor, and his intelligence and habits of
observation enabled him to supplement to a considerable extent what he
had learned at school. His spelling and grammar were sometimes at fault,
but his handwriting was extremely plain and distinct, and Willy Croup,
who always read his letters, declared that it was much better to write
plainly than to be always correct in other respects, for what was the
good of proper spelling and grammar if people could not make out what
was written?

Mrs. Cliff was not at all disturbed by the delay in the purchase of a
yacht; for, according to her idea, it would be a long time yet before it
was pleasant to sail upon the sea, and if it was interesting to Mr.
Burke to go from place to place and have interviews with ship-owners and
sea-faring people, she was glad that she was able to give him an
opportunity to do so.

As for herself, she was in a pleasant state of feminine satisfaction.
Without any sort of presumption or even effort on her part she had
attained a high and unquestioned position among her fellow-citizens, and
her mind was not set upon maintaining that position by worthy and
unoffensive methods of using her riches.

She now had a definite purpose in life. If she could make herself happy
and a great many other people happy, and only a few people envious or
jealous, and, at the same time, feel that she was living and doing
things as a person of good common sense and great wealth ought to live
and do things, what more could be expected of her in this life?

Thus backed up by her conscience and her check-book, she sat, morning
after morning, before a ch