beyond comparison, she was able to regard young men with mercy, and with

pity, if they had none to love. "How hard you have been at work!" she

said; "it makes us seem so lazy! But we never can find any good thing to

do."

"That's a cut at me," cried the Admiral. "Scudamore, when you come to my

age, be wiser than to have any daughters. Sure enough, they find no good

to do; and they not only put all the fault of that on me, but they make

me the victim of all the mischief they invent. Dolly, my darling, wear

that cap if it fits. But you have not shaken hands with Mr. Scudamore

yet. I hope you will do so, some hundreds of times."

"Not all at once, papa; or how thankful he would be! But stop, I have

not got half my glove off; this fur makes them stick so."

Miss Dolly was proud of her hands, and lost few chances of getting them

looked at. Then with a little smile, partly at herself for petulance,

partly to him for forgiveness, she offered her soft warm rich white

hand, and looked at him beautifully as he took it. Alack and alas for

poor "Captain Scuddy"!

His eyes, with a quick shy glance, met hers; and hers with soft inquiry

answered, "I wonder what you think of me?" Whenever she met a new face,

this was her manner of considering it.

"Scudamore, I shall not allow you any time to think about it," Admiral

Darling broke in suddenly, so that the young man almost jumped.

"Although you have cut the service for a while, because of our stingy

peacefulness, you are sure to come back to us again when England wants

English, not Latin and Greek. I am your commanding officer, and my

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