The way it happened that two such children
were sent to sea on such a long voyage, without any one to have them in
charge, was this.

[Footnote A: It ought here to be stated, that Jane was not really
Rollo's sister, though he always called her and considered her so. She
was really his cousin. Her father and mother had both died when she was
about six years old, and then Mr. and Mrs. Holiday had adopted her as
their own child, so that ever since that time she had lived with Rollo
and Nathan as their sister. She was very nearly of the same age with
Nathan.]

Rollo's father and mother had gone to Europe to make a tour, a year
before this time, and had taken Rollo's brother Nathan, or _Thanny_, as
Rollo used most frequently to call him, with them. They had gone partly
for pleasure, but more especially on account of Mr. Holiday's health,
which was not good. It was thought that the voyage, and the recreation
and pleasure of travelling in Europe, would be a benefit to him. In
certain cases where a person's health is impaired, especially when one
is slowly recovering from past sickness, nothing is found to have a more
beneficial effect upon the patient than for him to go away somewhere and
have a good time. It was determined to try the effect of this remedy
upon Mr. Holiday, and so he went to Europe. Mrs. Holiday went with him.
They took Thanny too, to be company for them on the way. Thanny was at
this time about seven years old.

A child of that age, for a travelling companion, is sometimes a source
of great pleasure, and sometimes, on the other hand, he is the means of
great annoyance and vexation. This depends upon whether he is obedient,
patient, quiet, and gentle in his manners and demeanor, or noisy,
inconsiderate, wilful, and intractable. A great many children act in
such a manner, whenever they take a journey or go out to ride with their
parents, that their parents, in self-defence, are obliged to adopt the
plan of almost always contriving to leave them behind.

It was not so, however, with Nathan. He was an excellent boy in
travelling, and always made the ride or the journey more pleasant for
those who took him with them. This was the reason why, when it was
determined that Mr. and Mrs. Holiday should go to England, that Mrs.
Holiday was very desirous that Nathan should go too. And so far as
Nathan was concerned, the voyage and the tour proved to be all that Mr.
and Mrs. Holiday expected or desired. In regard to ot