iculous! you want to understand everything."

"Don't you?"

"No! I guess I don't. I am tired enough with trying to understand a
little. I'll let alone what I can. You'll know what a frigate is when
you have been on board of her."

"But I think I should enjoy it a great deal more if I knew beforehand,"
said Dolly.

"You had best study a ship's dictionary. _I_ am going to study what I
shall wear."

"That you cannot tell yet," Christina remarked. "You do not know what
sort of a day next Saturday, I mean, Saturday week, will be. It may be
cold or"----

"It mayn't be hot," said the other. "It will be cold, cold enough. It's
November. You can wear your prettiest winter things, young ladies."

A little while after, the group had broken up, and Dolly sought out one
of the teachers and begged to know where she could find a "ship's
dictionary."

"A ship dictionary? My dear, there is no such thing. What do you want
to find out?"

"One of the girls said I could find out about ships in a ship's
dictionary. We are going to see a man-of-war next week."

"Oh, and you want to study up the subject? It is a Marine Dictionary
you are in quest of. Come to the library."

The library was always open to the girls for study purposes. The
teacher was good-natured, and got out a big, brown square volume, and
put it in Dolly's hand. Dolly had been followed by Christina; and now
the two sat down together in a window recess on the floor, with the
book before them. Dolly began at the beginning, and aloud.

"'_Aback_.'"

"That is nothing we want," remarked Christina.

"Oh yes, I think it is. It is 'the situation of the sails when their
surfaces are flatted against the masts by the force of the wind.' I do
not understand, though. The sails are said to be 'taken aback.'-- Oh, I
have heard mother say that. What could she mean? I have heard her say
she was taken aback."

"I have heard people say that too," said Christina; "often. I never
knew what they meant. Something disagreeable, I think."

"Well, you see," said Dolly, reading further, "it 'pushes the ship
_astern_'--what's that? 'See _Backing_.' I suppose it means pushing it
back. But I don't understand!" the little girl added with a sigh.

"Oh, well! we don't care about all that," said Dolly's companion. "Go
on to something else. Find out about the midshipmen."

"What about the midshipmen?"

"Nothing,--only I would like to know what they are. Madeleine said they
were young o