Who is that?" asked the old lady, looking up and seeing him through the
open door.

"Please, ma'am, that is my husband," answered my mother, courtesying.

"What is he?" inquired the old lady.

"A sailor, ma'am."

"Eh, my son is a sailor, my Jack is a sailor, and I love sailors for his
sake. Let him come in. Come in, sailor, and put those bundles down;
they may tire you. There, sit down and rest yourself. And this is the
little girl my son wrote about. Let me see her, Mrs--what is your
name?"

"Burton, ma'am," answered my mother.

"Let me see her, Mrs Burton. A very pretty sweet little damsel she is;
and whose child is she, do you say?"

"That is what we do not know, ma'am," answered my mother.

"And I am sure I do not," said the old lady, who, I should observe,
never was at a loss for a remark.

"Well, that does not much signify; we shall like her for herself. And
who is that little boy?"

"That is my son, ma'am," answered my mother.

"Oh! Then he is not the little girl's brother, I suppose?"

"No, ma'am," answered my mother, "though I love the little girl as if
she were my own child, and indeed I sorely feel the thoughts of parting
with her."

"Very natural, and right, and proper," remarked the old lady. "I am
sure I should love such a pretty little damsel, especially if I had
nursed her as I suppose you have. However, we will not talk about that
just now. You and your husband must stay here for some days, and your
little boy too, until this little lady gets accustomed to us. I
suppose, sailor, you do not want to go to sea in a hurry? What is his
name, my good woman?"

"Richard Burton," answered my mother, "late quarter-master of HM frigate
`Boreas'."

"Well, Richard Burton, you may make yourself at home here, and as happy
as you can. My son Jack has written to us about you, only I could not
recollect your name."

Although the old lady did not appear at first very wise, she had,
however, a fair amount of shrewd good sense, and she was excessively
kind, and liberal, and generous as far as she had the means. The ladies
had prepared a very nice room for my mother and father, and I had a bed
in a corner of it, and they really treated them as if they were guests
of consequence.

While the old lady was speaking, Miss Anna Maria stood laughing and
smiling at me, trying to gain my attention and confidence. As I looked
at her I thought she must be very good-natured. She was short, and ver