ourse, they all registered at
the Registry Agency on Orange street, where Mr. Godfrey, who had
entertained them by his interesting guide-book on Nantucket, gave them a
kind welcome. Then they walked along the Main street, noticing the bank,
built in 1818, and passed some quaint old houses with their gables,
roofs, and sides, all finished alike, which Burdette has described as
"being shingled, shangled, shongled, and shungled." Tom was struck with
the little railings which crowned so many of the houses; and which,
since the old fishing days' prosperity did not call the people on the
house-tops to watch anxiously for the expected ships, were now more
ornamental than useful. They passed, at the corner of Ray's Court, a
sycamore tree, the largest and oldest on the island, and soon halted
at the neat Soldiers' Monument, so suggestive of the patriotic valor
of the island people. Later they found on Winter street the Coffin
School-house,--a brick building with two white pillars in front and a
white cupola,--which was back from the street, behind some shade trees,
and surrounded by an iron fence. As they looked at it Miss Ray read
aloud the words inscribed on the front:--

Founded 1827 by
Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Bart.
Erected
1852.

They were also interested to see, near by, a large white building, known
as the High School-house. As they neared home Tom's eves noticed the
sign of a Nantucket birds' exhibition, and a visit to that place was
made.

During the walk Mrs. Gordon had been particularly interested in the
large cobble-stones which the uneven streets supported in addition to
the green grass, and also the peculiar Nantucket cart, with its step
behind.

On their return to their boarding-place, they joined a party that had
been formed to go to the Cliff, a sandy bluff about a mile north from
the town, where they were told was to be found the best still-water
bathing on the island. Soon they were all on the yacht "Dauntless,"
which hourly plied between the two places; in twenty minutes they were
landed at the Cliff; and fifteen minutes later they were all revelling
in the warm, refreshing water. Bessie declared that in all her large
bathing experience on the north shore she had never enjoyed anything
like this. Miss Ray felt that here in this warm, still water was her
opportunity to learn to swim; so she accepted the kind teaching of a
friend; but, alas, her efforts savored more of hard work to plough up