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CHAPTER VII.

THE COMPACT WITH THE CAPTAIN.

OU shouldn't look so unhappy, my little dear, because you've your nurse with you,' said the kind captain of the vessel some days after Hilda had been at sea, and still wore the very sad expression on her little face that had come over it when father wished her 'good-bye.' 'And I've known some little girls,' the old man went on, 'go right away to England and France to school without anybody to go with them even.' 'Who took care of them, then?' asked Hilda.

'I did partly, and partly they took care of themselves.' 'But you've your ship to take care of, haven't you?' 'Yes; but I could look after them too.'

'They couldn't have liked it much to come alone,' Hilda muttered very mournfully.

'I have some little girls at home,' the captain then said, drawing the child between his knees as he spoke, and very kindly taking one of her little hands in his, 'and I have to leave them behind every time I come to sea; but they try to make themselves happy at school without me.'

'How old are they?' asked Hilda.

'One is twelve, another ten, and the third nine years old.' 'And I'm nine too. But does their mother live with them?' 'They haven't a mother,' he answered; 'they've only their old father, and as he's nearly always at sea they very seldom see him.'

'I'm so sorry for them,' said the child. 'I've a mother, you know, but she's farther away even than where this ship started from; and everybody's there, father, mother, Dora, Grandfather Charles, and Nenus, and the school arbour. Nothing's come with me, only Nana; but she's going back, because father's taken her a return ticket; and oh'-Hilda had nearly forgotten her-' will you please, Nana,' she asked, looking round at her nurse, who was standing behind her, 'if you don't mind, just fetch Cleopatra for the captain to see, as I think he'd like to see her very much, and I expect your little girls would too,' she continued, talking to the captain again. Have they ever been to Grenada? ’

'No, never; they have never left England.'

'I wish they were at school in Passy instead of England,' Hilda then said; 'because I am going to Passy, and I might know them if they were, and then I could show them my doll, and let them nurse her. Mother says most likely there won't be another doll like mine in the whole of Passy. Nana gave her to me, and Dora wanted to put her on a hat, but of course she doesn't wear hats, does she, Nana?' the child continued, addressing her nurse again, who, then returning with the doll, handed it to the child to give to the captain to admire.

Hilda, it seemed, expected the captain to know all about Dora and Nenus, and everybody in Grenada.

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""I'M SO SORRY FOR THEM," SAID THE CHILD.'

'Do you ever write to your children?' she then asked, giving Cleo back to Nana to put safely away once more. 'I have a desk in my little box, with paper and envelopes, and money to buy stamps to post them with, and I am to write to father or mother every mail.'

'My little ones can't well write to me,' said the old man, 'because I might be gone from any place before their letters came, and I haven't very much time to write to them either.'

'But I'm very sorry their mother is dead,' said Hilda gravely; 'for she might be able to write to them sometimes, and then they could count the months till they saw her again, like Nana said I could do at school, but they can't now. What are their names?' she then added quickly; 'I forgot to ask before.'

'Mary, Constance, and Clara,' the captain replied; but though Hilda had not meant to do so, she had made him very sad by talking so much about his children's mother, and now she saw him wipe a tear from his eye.

'I'm so sorry,' she said, as, understanding why he was sad, she put one of her arms round his neck, and then whispered, 'She's very happy, you know, so you must be happy too. A lady died in Grenada a little while ago, and then father told mother, when she was crying, that she was better off, because she had gone to God; so you won't be unhappy, will you?' Hilda begged.

'Not if you won't be. Come, little woman, there's a compact,' said the good captain, brightening up. 'We've both something to make us unhappy, and we'll both try to be happy and comfort one another, shall we? I think

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