boy's hull. My, but he's a fine one! And yet so civil and biddable!
Always full set when there's fun in the air. Can't tell you, Mistress
Blum, how I dote on that 'ere boy. Then there's Miss Dorothy,--the
trimmest, neatest little craft I ever see. It seemed, t'other day, that
the deck was slippin' from under me, when I see that child scudding
'round the lot on Lady's back. You couldn't 'a' told, at first, whether
she was a-runnin' away with Lady, or Lady a-runnin' away with her. But
didn't the skeer follow mighty quick! I tell you the wind blew four
quarters to once fur a spell, but afore I could get there Master Donald
had her. Whew! It was mirac'l'us! Never see such a boy--no, nor girl
neither--as them two twins!"

"Nor I," said Liddy, fervently.

"And what babbies they were!" proceeded Jack. "I can see 'em now, as I
first saw 'em after the wreck,--poor, thin, pinched mites, 'most
sneezin' their little heads off. And then, when you took hold on 'em,
Mistress Blum, with your tender care, night an' day, day an' night,
always studyin' their babby naturs so partic'lar and insistin' upon
their havin' their grog from one tap--"

"Mr. Jack, I'm ashamed of you! How often I've requested you not to put
it that way! Milk from one cow is a common-sense rule. Every one knows
that babies brought up by hand must be treated just so particular. Well,
they throve on it, didn't they?"--her eyes kindling.

"Throve, my hearty?--ahem; beg parding! Throve! Why, they just bounded!
I never see anything like it! The brightest, liveliest little pair o'
sea-gulls I ever set eyes on; an' grow? _Grow_, Miss Blum? Well, throw
me to the sharks if ever I see anything grow like them babbies!"

"Didn't they!" exclaimed Miss Blum, so happy in recalling her success
with the "dear, darling little D's" that she quite forgot to check Mr.
Jack's inelegance "Ah, many a time I used to stand and wonder at them
when I should have been workin'! It seemed to me as if they improved
hourly. Why, do you know, Mr. Jack--"

A bell rang violently, as if some one were in trouble.

[Illustration: "I USED TO STAND AND WONDER AT THEM, WHEN I SHOULD HAVE
BEEN WORKIN'."]

"It's the master!" cried Liddy, and as she sprang up the stairs, Jack
followed her rapidly and lightly on tiptoe.

But it was not Mr. George at all. When Liddy hastily opened the library
door, with a "Did you ring, sir?" and Mr. Reed responded with a
surprised "No, thank you!" while the visitor c