ing else; however, so soon as she was safely
seated and just as the men were ordered to "give way," she looked up at
the great ship they were leaving; and there, just above her, leaning on
the guards and looking over and down at her, she saw her midshipman
friend. Dolly saw nothing else till his face was too small in the
distance to be any longer recognised.

CHAPTER V.

THE PIECE OF ROPE.

It was Saturday and holiday, and Dolly went home to her aunt's. There
her aunt and uncle, as was natural, expected a long story of the
morning's experience. And Dolly one would think might have given it;
matter for the detail was not wanting; yet she seemed to have little to
tell. On the other hand, she had a great deal to ask. She wanted to
know why people could not do all their fighting on land; why ships of
war were necessary; Mr. Eberstein tried to explain that there might be
great and needful advantages attendant upon the use of them. Then Dolly
begged for instances. Had we, Americans, ever fought at sea? Mr.
Eberstein answered that, and gave her details of facts, while Mrs.
Eberstein sat by silent and watched Dolly's serious, meditative face.

"I should think," said Dolly, "that when there is a fight, a ship of
war would be a very dreadful place."

"There is no doubt of that, my little girl," said Mr. Eberstein. "Take
the noise, and the smoke, the packed condition of one of those gun
decks, and the every now and then coming in of a round shot, crashing
through planks and timbers, splintering what comes in its way, and
stretching half a dozen men at once, more or less, on the floor in dead
and wounded,--I think it must be as good a likeness of the infernal
regions as earth can give--in one way at least."

"In what way?" Dolly asked immediately.

"Confusion of pain and horror. Not wickedness."

"Uncle Ned, do you think God can like it?"

"No."

"Then isn't it wicked?"

"No, little one; not necessarily. No sort of pain or suffering can be
pleasing to God; we know it is not; yet sin has made it necessary, and
He often sends it."

"Don't He always send it?"

"Why no. Some sorts people bring on themselves by their own folly and
perverseness; and some sorts people work on others by their own wicked
self-will. God does not cause that, though He will overrule it to do
what He wants done."

"Uncle Ned, do you think we shall ever have to use our ships of war
again?"

"We are using them all the time. We send them t