“By the by,” he said, “what an attractive family group is that over yonder,” with a slight motion of the head in the direction of the Travillas.  “The mother is my beau-ideal of a lovely matron, in appearance at least—­I have not the happiness of her acquaintance—­and the daughters are models of beauty and grace.  They are from your neighborhood, I believe?”

“Yes; I have a calling acquaintance with Mrs. Travilla.  She was a great heiress; has peculiar notions, rather puritanical; but is extremely agreeable for all that.”

“Could you give me an introduction?”

She shook her head.  “I must beg you to excuse me.”

“But why?”

“Ah, captain, do you not know that you have the reputation of being a naughty man? not very; but then, as I have told you, the mother is very strict and puritanical in her ideas; the father is the same, and I should only offend them without doing you any good; the girls would not dare, or even so much as wish to look at or speak to you.”

Growing red and angry, the captain stammered out something about being no worse than ninetenths of the rest of the world.

“Very true, no doubt,” she said; “and please understand that you are not tabooed by me.  I’m not so strict.  But perhaps,” she added laughing, “it may be because I’ve no daughters to be endangered by young fellows who are as handsome and fascinating as they are naughty.”  He bowed his acknowledgments, then, as a noble looking young man was seen to approach the group with the manner of one on a familiar footing inquired, “Who is that fellow that seems so much at home with them?”

“His name is Leland; Lester Leland.  He’s a nephew of the Leland who bought Fairview from the Fosters some years ago.  He’s an artist and poor—­the nephew—­he had to work his own way in the world; has to yet for that matter.  I should wonder at the notice the Travillas take of him, only that I’ve heard he’s one of the good sort.  Then besides you know he may make a great reputation some day.”

“A pious fortune-hunter, I presume,” sneered Brice, rising to give his seat to a lady; then with a bow he turned and walked away.

Mr. Dinsmore was taking his grandsons over the vessel, showing them the engine and explaining its complicated machinery.

Edward, who had quite a mechanical turn, seemed to understand it nearly as well as his grandfather, and Harold and Herbert, bright, intelligent boys of ten and twelve, looked and examined with much interest, asking sensible questions and listening attentively to the replies.

They were active, manly little fellows, not fool-hardy or inclined to mischief; nor was their mother of the over-anxious kind; she could trust them, and when the tour of inspection with their grandpa was finished, they were allowed to roam about by themselves.

Captain Brice took advantage of this to make acquaintance with them, and win their hearts by thrilling stories of buffalo hunts and encounters with wolves, grizzly bears and Indians, in which he invariably figured as conquering hero.