tables,
and so forth.

He was a character, this old, retired sea-captain,--a firm friend and
ally to all pertaining to the names of Livingstone, or Rutherford, or
to any belonging to those families, our factotum and standby; and,
moreover, an endless source of amusement to the mature part of the
household, and of unbounded admiration to the more juvenile portion. In
the eyes of our little girls, and indeed in those of my two younger
brothers, Norman and Douglas, and above all, in those of Jim and Bill,
he was a veritable hero, for his had been a hard and venturesome life,
full of thrilling adventure and hairbreadth escapes; and the children
never tired of listening to the narration of them. Nor, I am bound to
believe, did the old man depart from the ways of truth, or draw upon
his imagination, in narrating them. But I will let the garrulous old
veteran speak for himself, a thing which he was never loth to do.

CHAPTER II.

A CABLEGRAM.

"Mornin', boys; mornin', little ones; mornin', Miss Amy," said the
captain, regardless alike of my seniority to the rest of the group, and
of any claims of social position over the servants. "Where's pa?" This
to me.

"Mr. Livingstone is out driving," I answered, with what I intended to
be crushing dignity; for, much as I liked Captain Yorke, it always
vexed me to have my father and mother spoken of thus familiarly.

"Ma in, then?" he asked, quite unabashed; and indeed, quite unconscious
of any reproof.

"No; Mrs. Livingstone is with Mr. Livingstone," I answered again.

"Wal," drawled the captain, "that's likely enough. If ye see one on 'em
drivin' or walkin' roun', you're like enough to see t'other, for
they're lover-like yet, if they has got a big fam'ly part grown up. I
declar', yer pa an' ma is as like me an' Mis' Yorke as two peas is like
two more peas, allus kind of hankerin' to be together, jes' as if we
was all young folks yet, an' doin' our courtin'. Not that pa an' ma is
sech old folks as me an' Mis' Yorke, but they'll get to it bimeby if
they lives long enough."

I passed over the compliment to my parents without comment, merely
asking,--

"Can you leave your message with me, captain?"

"'Twill keep," he answered; "an' I've got a bit of business with Jim
here. Yer projeck ain't no secret, be it, Jim?"

"No," replied Jim. "I was just tellin' Miss Amy, an' askin' her to do
up the sums about it; but"--lowering his voice, and ignorant of the
laws of acoust