ldom see them, and they are mostly harmless."

"Have you any little girls in your house?"

"No, I am sorry to say."

"There were two little English girls on shipboard at first. They went on
board another vessel after a while. I liked them very much. They knew a
great many things about countries. I can read, but I don't a great deal.
Sometimes father would tell me about America. There are a great many
countries in it, and once they had a big war. They had wars, too, in
India. Why must people kill each other?"

"There seem to be reasons. A little girl could not understand them all,
I think;" and how could he explain them?

"Oh, there is Captain Corwin!" She flew across the cabin with
outstretched arms, which she clasped about him.

"Well, have you been getting acquainted with--he will be your uncle, I
suppose. What title are you going to take with the child, Mr. Leverett?"

Chilian Leverett colored, without a cause he thought, and it annoyed
him.

"Are you going back to India to-day?" She was not interested in Chilian
Leverett's answer.

Captain Corwin laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.

"Not to-day, nor even next week. The cargo will have to be taken off,
little missy, and a new one stowed away. And I fancy there must be some
repairs. I shall stay in town and run down to Marblehead. So you will
see me quite often."

"And you are coming back again from India?"

"Oh, I hope so. More than once."

"You will bring father then. It is such a long while to wait;" and she
sighed.

The men exchanged glances.

"I want to see him so much. Couldn't I go back with you?"

"Don't you remember I told you the other evening he might start before I
reached India again? Don't you want to go ashore and see Salem? Ask Miss
Rachel to get you ready."

Rachel was beckoning to her. "Let us go up on deck," she said. "It's a
strange country to me as well as to you. And I fancy the men want to
talk."

She crossed the cabin slowly, not quite certain what she did desire
most, except to see her father.

"You will have a rather sorry task. But Captain Ant'ny would have it so.
He wanted to feel that she would be among friends. He had the fullest
confidence that you could manage wisely. There is a great box of
papers, instructions, etc. You are appointed her guardian and trustee.
I've brought boxes of stuff that the officers will have to go through.
But the legal matters you may take with you. He tried to make it as easy
as