estic she lay upon the quiet river; a very wonderful
floating home indeed, and unlike all else she had ever known, to
Dolly's apprehension. How she and the rest were ever to get on board
was an insoluble problem to her, as to most of them; and the chair that
was presently lowered along the ship's side to receive them, seemed a
very precarious sort of means of transport. However, the getting aboard
was safely accomplished; one by one they were hoisted up; and Dolly's
feet stood upon the great main deck. And the first view was perfectly
satisfactory, and even went far beyond her imaginings. She found
herself standing under a mixed confusion of masts and spars and sails,
marvellous to behold, which yet she also saw was no confusion at all,
but complicated and systematic order. How much those midshipmen must
have to learn, though, if they were to know the names and uses and
handling of every spar and every rope and each sail among them! as
Dolly knew they must. Her eye came back to the deck. What order there
too; what neatness; why it was beautiful; and the uniforms here and
there, and the sailors' hats and jackets, filled up the picture to her
heart's desire. Dolly breathed a full breath of satisfaction.

The Captain of the "Achilles" made his appearance, Captain Barbour. He
was a thick-set, grizzly haired man, rather short, not handsome at all;
and yet with an air of authority unmistakably clothing him like a
garment of power and dignity. Plainly this man's word was law, and the
girls stood in awe of him. He was known to Mrs. Delancy; and now she
went on to present formally all her young people to him. The captain
returned the courtesy by calling up and introducing to her and them
some of his officers; and then they went to a review of the ship.

It took a long while. Between Mrs. Delancy and Captain Barbour a lively
conversation was carried on; Dolly thought he was explaining things to
the lady that she did not understand; but though it might be the case
now and then, I think the talk moved mainly upon less technical
matters. Dolly could not get near enough to hear what it was, at any
rate. The young lieutenants, too, were taken up with playing the host
to the older young ladies of the party. If _they_ received instruction
also by the way, Dolly could not tell; the laughing hardly looked like
it. She and the other young ones at any rate followed humbly at the
tail of everything, and just came up to a clear view of some d