deness,"
added Mr. Lowington, giving no attention to the young gentleman, who
had so impolitely broken in upon the conversation of his elders. "I
see no reason why a young man cannot be a gentleman in a ship as well
as on shore."

"I dare say you have sailors to do the dirty work."

"No, madam; our students do all the work."

"Do they put their own fingers into the pitch and the tar?" inquired
the lady, with a curl of the lip which indicated her horror.

"Certainly; but we think pitch and tar are not half so defiling as
evil thoughts and bad manners."

"They are very, _very_ disagreeable. The odor of tar and pitch is
intolerable."

"We do not find it so, for--"

"I say, I wish to know what the fellows do."

"We are accustomed to the odor of them," continued the principal. "To
some people the scent of musk, and even otto of roses, is not
pleasant; and, for my part, I rather enjoy that of tar and pitch."

"That is very, _very_ singular. But Clyde desires to know what the
young gentlemen do," added the lady, glancing at her son, behind whom
stood the man in livery, as though he were the boy's exclusive
property.

"They have a regular routine of study," replied Mr. Lowington,
addressing the lady, and declining even to glance at the original
inquirer, for the rudeness of Mr. Clyde in interrupting the
conversation seemed to merit a rebuke. "They attend to the studies
usually pursued in the highest class of academies, including the
modern languages and navigation, the latter being a speciality in the
course."

"I don't care what they study," said Clyde. "What do they do in the
ship?"

"We prepare boys for college, and beyond that pursue a regular college
course, so far as our facilities will permit. Our students have the
advantage of travel; for, in the present cruise, we shall visit all
the principal nations of Europe."

"What do they do in the ship?"

"Clyde desires to know what the boys do in the ship," added the lady.

"They learn good manners, for the first thing, madam. There are
fifteen officers in this vessel, and nine in each of the others. They
are all students, who take their rank according to their merit. The
best scholar in each is the captain, and so on."

"Does the captain manage the ship?" asked Clyde.

"Certainly."

"I should like to be the captain," exclaimed the young gentleman.

"Do you think you could manage the ship?" asked his mother, with a
smile which expressed the pride she