erest in the
ship-building, and in the little oysters which the harbor yields; but
whether we did take an interest or not has passed out of memory. A
small, unpicturesque, wooden town, in the languor of a provincial
summer; why should we pretend an interest in it which we did not feel?
It did not disturb our reposeful frame of mind, nor much interfere with
our enjoyment of the day.

On the forward deck, when we were under way again, amid a group reading
and nodding in the sunshine, we found a pretty girl with a companion and
a gentleman, whom we knew by intuition as the "pa" of the pretty girl
and of our night of anguish. The pa might have been a clergyman in a
small way, or the proprietor of a female boarding-school; at any rate,
an excellent and improving person to travel with, whose willingness to
impart information made even the travelers long for a pa. It was no
part of his plan of this family summer excursion, upon which he had come
against his wish, to have any hour of it wasted in idleness. He held
an open volume in his hand, and was questioning his daughter on its
contents. He spoke in a loud voice, and without heeding the timidity of
the young lady, who shrank from this public examination, and begged her
father not to continue it. The parent was, however, either proud of his
daughter's acquirements, or he thought it a good opportunity to shame
her out of her ignorance. Doubtless, we said, he is instructing her
upon the geography of the region we are passing through, its early
settlement, the romantic incidents of its history when French and
English fought over it, and so is making this a tour of profit as well
as pleasure. But the excellent and pottering father proved to be no
disciple of the new education. Greece was his theme and he got his
questions, and his answers too, from the ancient school history in his
hand. The lesson went on:

"Who was Alcibiades?

"A Greek."

"Yes. When did he flourish?"

"I can't think."

"Can't think? What was he noted for?"

"I don't remember."

"Don't remember? I don't believe you studied this."

"Yes, I did."

"Well, take it now, and study it hard, and then I'll hear you again."

The young girl, who is put to shame by this open persecution, begins to
study, while the peevish and small tyrant, her pa, is nagging her with
such soothing remarks as, "I thought you'd have more respect for your
pride;" "Why don't you try to come up to the expectations of your
teache