ore; they're all
waiting for me up-stairs. Shall I get them?"

Noll bounded away as his uncle nodded assent, and went up-stairs with
a merry whistle. Trafford listened to the quick footsteps and the
light-hearted music, and really rejoiced that they were not to flee
and leave the old house desolate. It would be a brighter dwelling than
it had been till--till death came, he thought. And if he could not
teach the boy as Brother Noll had desired him to do, yet he would see
that in the matter of books and study he had every advantage. So, when
the boy came down with his arms full of books, he set himself to his
task with an earnestness that pleased Noll wonderfully.

"Uncle Richard means that I shall progress," he thought; "and oh, I
_do_ hope I can keep up with Ned and the rest!"

Trafford found his nephew an apt scholar. He had expected that,
however, for the boy came of a book-loving race. Very likely, had the
pupil proved but a dull one, he would sometimes have wearied of his
task of hearing the recitations every day; but as it was, he found a
positive pleasure in his capacity as Noll's instructor, and generally
a relief from his gloominess.

Noll's study-hours were at his own discretion; the recitations came in
the afternoon, and after four the boy had the remainder of the day to
spend as he liked. Sometimes the shore claimed him, sometimes the
rocks. Then there were excursions, in company with old Hagar, to the
solitude of the pines, after cones and dry, resinous branches for the
kitchen fire, which never seemed to burn well unless the old
housekeeper had an abundance of this kindling material.

"Nuffin like dem yer pine cones fur winter mornin's," Hagar always
said; and many were the visits which she and "Mas'r Noll" paid to the
woods, returning with laden baskets.

Somehow, after a time, the boy found more delight in these simple
pleasures than at first. Once, with all his friends about him, he
would have found no entertainment in a journey into the forest after
cones,--there were other delights in abundance, then; but now, forced
to get all his enjoyment out of the simplest, humblest events, this
work of gathering winter fuel grew to be a positive pleasure, after
the recitations were over, and the short October days drawing to a
close. Then, too, the winter stores were being brought down from
Hastings on the "Gull," and Skipper Ben and his crew came often to the
stone house, to break the monotony