They had heard and read of the beautiful golden doorway and viewed it with
interest and satisfaction.

"It is very, very beautiful," said Grandma Elsie, "a nest of arches
covered with silver and gold."

"And that border is lovely, lovely!" exclaimed Rosie; "such delicate
tracery!"

"Papa, is it solid gold?" asked little Elsie, who was clinging to her
father's hand on one side, while Ned had fast hold of the other.

"No, daughter," the captain replied, "not solid, though there is a good
deal of both gold and silver covering the other and cheaper materials."
Then he called her attention to a relief on the left side of the arch,
showing an ox-cart with its clumsy wheels dragging slowly along through
heavy sand, the travellers in it looking most uncomfortable.

"That, children," he said, "is the way people used to travel years ago
when I was a little fellow, such as you are now, Neddie boy; and
this"--going to the other side of the arch and pointing to the contrasting
relief--"shows how we travel now. See, it is a section of a palace-car;
some of the people reading, others gazing from its plate-glass windows,
and a porter serving them with luncheon."

"Yes, papa; that's the way we travel when we don't go in the _Dolphin_ or
in our carriage, and it's a great deal nicer than that ox-cart," said
Elsie.