y _great_ and
the _useful_ court concealment until duty calls them forth and reveals
their worth and their importance to an admiring world. The admiring
world on the present occasion, however, consisted only of Frank, Edith,
Maximus, and Chimo; unless, indeed, we may include the moon, who at that
moment poured her bright beams through the ice-window of the hut and
flooded the centre of the snow-table with light.

"Aren't we snug, Eda?" cried Frank, as he filled her tin with tea.
"What a charming house! and so cheap, too! There's sugar beside you.
Take care you don't use salt by mistake.--Maximus, hold out your
pannikin. That's the true beverage to warm your heart, if you take it
hot enough."

"Tankee, sur," said the giant, extending his cup with one hand, while
with the other he forced into his capacious mouth as much pemmican as it
could hold.

"Frank," said Edith, "we must build an igloo at the fort when we
return."

"So we will, now that I know how to do it. Hand me the salt, please,
and poke Chimo's nose away from the salmon. Yes, and we'll invite papa
and mamma to come and take supper at _our_ house.--Maximus, is this the
exact way your friends build their winter houses?"

"Yis, sur," answered the Esquimau, looking up from the cut of salmon
which he lifted with his fingers in preference to a fork or knife. "Dey
always buil' um so. But not dis t'ing," he added, touching the
snow-table.

"No, I suppose not," said Frank. "I flatter myself that that is a
recent improvement."

"We do great many igloo sometime," continued Maximus, "vid two, t'ree,
four--plenty pass'ges goin' into von a-doder."

"What does he mean by that?" inquired Edith, laughing.

"I suppose he means that they connect a number of their igloos together
by means of passages.--And do they keep them as clean and snug as this,
Maximus?"

The Esquimau replied by a loud chuckle, and a full display of his
magnificent teeth, which Frank understood to signify a decided negative.

When supper was ended Chimo was permitted to devour the scraps, while
Frank assisted Edith to arrange her little dormitory. It was much the
same in its arrangements as the larger apartment, and was really as
comfortable and warm as one could desire. Returning to the large
apartment, Frank spread out the couch on which he and Maximus were to
repose; and then, sitting down beside the stone lamp, he drew forth his
Bible, as was his wont, and began to read.

Soon