“Yes, sir; must I wait for an answer?”

“Oh, no,” he replied, with a slight smile; “you may come right back to your place by papa’s side.”

Elsie read the little missive handed her at a glance, rose up hastily, and went to the captain with it in her hand, a troubled look on her face.

“My dear captain,” she said, in a tone of gentle remonstrance, “why did you do this?  The child’s offence against me was not a grave one in my esteem, and I know that to one of her temperament it would be extremely galling to be made to apologize.  I wish you had not required it of her.”

“I thought it for her good, mother,” he answered; “and I think so still; she is so strongly inclined to impertinence and insubordination that I must do all in my power to train her to proper submission to lawful authority and respect for superiors.”

Edward joined them at that moment.  He looked disturbed and chagrined.

“Really, captain,” he said, “I am not at all sure that Lulu has not as much right to an apology from me as I to this from her.  I spoke to her in anger, and with an assumption of authority to which I really had no right, so that there was ample excuse for her not particularly respectful language to me.  I am sorry, therefore, she has had the pain of apologizing.”

“You are very kind to be so ready to over look her insolence,” the captain said; “but I cannot permit such exhibitions of temper, and must, at whatever cost, teach her to rule her own spirit.”

“Doubtless you are right,” Edward said; “but I am concerned and mortified to find that I have got her into such disgrace and trouble.  I must own I am quite attached to Lulu; she has some very noble and lovable traits of character.”

“She has indeed,” said his mother; “she is so free from the least taint of hypocrisy or deceit; so perfectly honest and truthful; so warm-hearted, too; so diligent and energetic in anything she undertakes to do—­very painstaking and persevering—­and a brave, womanly little thing.”

The captain’s face brightened very much as he listened to these praises of his child.

“I thank you heartily, mother and brother,” he said; “for the child is very dear to her father’s heart, and praise of her is sweet to my ear.  I can see all these lovable traits, but feared that to other eyes than mine they might be entirely obscured by the very grave faults joined with them.  But it is just like you both to look at the good rather than the evil.

“And you have done so much for my children!  I assure you I often think of it with the feeling that you have laid me under obligations which I can never repay.”

“Ah, captain,” Elsie said, laughingly, “you have a fashion of making a great mountain out of a little mole-hill of kindness.  Flattery is not good for human nature, you know, so I shall leave you and go back to papa, who has a wholesome way of telling me of my faults and failings.”