“Am I also under orders to retire, sir?” asked Violet with a mischievous smile up into his face, as Lulu bade good-night to the rest of the company and disappeared down the companion-way.

“Not from me,” he said, pleasantly taking a seat at her side as he spoke.  “Have I not told you many times that my wife does what she pleases?  At least, if she fails to do so it is in consequence of no order from me.”

“No; you have never given me one yet, and I believe I should like you to do so for once that I may see how it feels,” she added with a low, musical laugh, slipping her hand confidingly into his.

“Perhaps you might not find it particularly agreeable,” he returned, pressing the little hand tenderly in his.  “But just to satisfy you I may try it one of these days.  You are not disappointed in the Fair so far?”

“No, no, not in the least!  Oh, how lovely it is! and what a beautiful view we have from here!  How delighted our little Elsie and Ned will be with it all to-morrow.  I hardly know how to wait for the time to come when I can see and share their pleasure.”

But now the others were saying good-night and going down to their state-rooms, and the captain remarked laughingly that he thought the longed-for time would seem to come sooner if he and she should follow their good example.

“So it will,” returned Violet, promptly rising and slipping her hand into his arm.

She went first to her mother’s state-room, and the door being opened in answer to her gentle rap, “Are you quite comfortable, mamma, dear?” she asked.  “Is there anything I can do or furnish to make you more so?”

“I am perfectly comfortable and I need nothing but a good night’s rest, Vi, dear,” was the smiling response.  “Something which I want you to be taking as soon as possible.  We find ourselves here surrounded by so much that is wondrously enticing to look at, that I fear we will be tempted to neglect needed rest, and so make ourselves ill.”

“Ah, mamma, you and my husband are of one mind, as usual,” laughed Violet, and then with a tenderly affectionate good-night they parted.

Both the captain and Lulu retained their old habit of early rising, and she joined him upon the deck the next morning just as the sun came peeping above the horizon.

“Good-morning, papa,” she cried, running to him to put her arms about his neck and give and receive the usual morning caress.  “Isn’t this a lovely day?  How we shall enjoy it at the Fair—­that beautiful Court of Honor is just like the loveliest of fairylands.”

“With which my eldest daughter is quite familiar, of course,” he returned with amused look and tone, and smoothing her hair caressingly as he spoke.

“Well, I think I can begin to imagine now what fairyland may be like,” was her smiling rejoinder.  “Papa, mayn’t I keep close at your side, going wherever you go?”

“That is exactly what I want you to do,” he said.  “I should be troubled indeed by losing sight of any one of my children, unless after putting him or her in the care of someone whom I could implicitly trust.”