ey were sharp little things, and native wit served them
whenever reading, writing, and arithmetic failed. Indeed, the very fact
of their intercourse with Donald and Dorothy had done much for their
language and deportment. Yet each individual, from the big brother Ben
down to the latest baby, had his or her own peculiar character and
style, which not twenty Dons and Dorothys could alter.

It was not very difficult, after all, to remember the names of the young
Danbys; for Mr. Danby, being a methodical man, had insisted on their
being named in alphabetical order and that they each should have two
names, so as to give them their choice in after life. Therefore, the
first was Amanda Arabella,--at the present stage of our story, a girl of
seventeen, with poetical gifts of her own; the second was Benjamin
Buster, aged fifteen; the third, Charity Cora, dark-eyed, thoughtful,
nearly thirteen, and, the neighbors declared, never seen without a baby
in her arms; the fourth, Daniel David, a robust young person of eleven;
the fifth, Ella Elizabeth, red-haired, and just half-past nine, as she
said; next came Francis Ferdinand, or "Fandy," as he was called for
short, who, though only eight, was a very important member of the
family; next, Gregory George, who was six. And here the stock of double
names seems to have given out; for after Master Gregory came plain
little Helen, aged four; Isabella, a wee toddler "going on three;" and
last of all, little Jamie, "the sweetest, cunningest little baby that
ever lived." So now you have them all: Amanda Arabella, Benjamin Buster,
Charity Cora, Daniel David, Ella Elizabeth, Francis Ferdinand, Gregory
George, Helen, Isabella, and roly-poly Jamie. If you cannot quite
remember all the children, who can blame you? Even Mrs. Danby herself,
with the alphabet to help her, always had to name them upon her fingers,
allowing a child to a finger, and giving Elizabeth and Fandy the thumbs.

The stars of the family, in Donald's and Dorothy's estimation, were
Benjamin Buster, who had seen the world already, had enjoyed adventures
and hair-breadth escapes, and was now at home for the first time in four
years; Charity Cora, whose eager, dark eyes told their own story of
patient aspiration; and little Fandy. Mr. Danby was proud of all his
children, though perhaps proudest of Baby Jamie because there was no
knowing what the child might come to; but Mrs. Danby looked with
absolute reverence upon her eldest--Amand