he
next "Yule," or Christmas.

Mr. Malarius counted upon educating their children as he had educated
Erik and Vanda. He modestly resumed his position in the village school,
after sharing in the honor of the decorations bestowed by the
Geographical Society of France upon the captain of the "Alaska." He was
also busily occupied in correcting the proofs of his magnificent work on
the "Flora of the Arctic Regions." As for Dr. Schwaryencrona, he has not
quite finished his "Treatise on Iconography," which will transmit his
name to posterity.

The latest legal business of Mr. Bredejord has been to establish Erik's
claim as sole proprietor of the Vandalia mine. He gained his case in the
first instance, and also on appeal, which was no small success.

Erik took advantage of this, and of the enormous fortune thus accruing
to him, to purchase the "Alaska," which he converted into a pleasure
yacht. He uses it every year to go to Noroe in company with Mme. Durrien
and Vanda, to visit his adopted family. Although his civil rights have
been accorded to him, and his legal name is Emile Durrien, he has added
that of Hersebom, and among his relatives he is still called only Erik.

The secret desire of his mother is to see him some day married to Vanda,
whom she already loves as a daughter, and, as Erik evidently shares this
desire, we may suppose that it will be realized one of these days.

Kajsa still remains single, with the knowledge that she has lost her
opportunity.

Dr. Schwaryencrona, Mr. Bredejord, and Professor Hochstedt still play
innumerable games of whist.

One evening the doctor, having played worse than usual, Mr. Bredejord,
as he tapped his snuff-box, had the pleasure of recalling to his mind a
circumstance which had too long been forgotten.

"When do you intend to send me your Pliny?" he asked, with a wicked
gleam in his eye. "Certainly you can no longer think that Erik is of
Irish origin?"

The doctor was thunder-struck for a moment by this speech, but he soon
recovered himself.

"Bah! an ex-president of the French Republic was a direct descendant of
one of the Irish kings," he said, seriously. "I should not be at all
surprised if Mr. Durrien belongs to the same family!"

"Evidently," replied Mr. Bredejord. "In fact it is so extremely probable
that out of sport I will send you my Quintilian!"

THE END.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Waif of the "Cynthia"
by Andre Laurie and Jules Ve