d that as a compliment, and
looked so conscious, that it was easy to discover what share he had
taken in the matter.

"Pinnacles of ice cream, and a dance in the landing," read Mr. North.
"Why choose the landing, Mr. Benson?"

"Laundry, laundry! I guess it's blotted a leetle."

"Oh yes--I see! Upon my word, quite magnificent! So Mr.--Mellen, did you
call him?--is to be married this week. Well, well, that fate overtakes
most of us, sooner or later. We will go up stairs now, if you please,
Mr. Benson."

The old man led the way up to the room, which was kept in readiness for
visitors of importance, and which had been made quite comfortable by the
various articles of furniture that the different occupants had presented
to Caleb, on leaving his house.

The bargain was not a difficult one, as Mr. North appeared quite willing
to pay Benson his own price, and the old fellow was only in doubt as to
the extent to which he might safely carry his extortion.

When they went down stairs again, the steamboat had just come in to the
landing, and Dolf, Mr. Mellen's man, was making his way to the tavern,
having come to the island to see that the house was in readiness, and
dazzle the eyes of the females by the wonderful new clothes which had
fallen to his share of the wedding perquisites.

"That's just the ticket," said Caleb; "Mellen's man'll take you over to
the place, Mr. Julius, and set you a goin'. I'm going there myself now,
but you'll have to fix your master up first, so you can come with Dolf."

While Julius was going through the ceremonies of an introduction, Mr.
North called him away, and seemed to be giving him some very particular
directions. When he came back, Dolf, who was greatly rejoiced at this
acquisition, said, anxiously,

"Won't he let you go?"

"Of course," answered Hannibal, but a little uneasily. "It was only
about a fishing-rod I left behind."

CHAPTER V.

A BALL IN THE BASEMENT.

The day wore on. Everything was in a state of preparation in the old
mansion-house. The last ovenful of cake had been placed by an open
window in the pantry, that its frosted surface might harden into beauty.
The ice-cream freezers, ready to yield up their precious contents, were
set away in a cool place, and Victoria, a pretty mulatto girl who had
come to the house an orphan child, was busy carving red and white roses
out of a little pile of turnips and delicately shaped blood-beets,
intended to ornament divers