lay by the wharf; visitors, of whom a few came to buy, but by far the
greater part to look and gossip, and see the monkeys, and ask questions.
The monkeys, Jack and Jim, were no small part of the attraction, being
delightful little beasts, bright of eye and friendly of heart, always
ready to turn a somersault, or to run up the mast, or to make a bow to
the ladies (always with Franci in their hearts), as the Skipper directed
them.

Of course John was there at every available minute, whenever he could
escape the searching of his guardian's eye and tongue; but Mr. Scraper
himself came several times to the "Nautilus;" so did pretty Lena Brown.
There was no doubt that Lena was a charming girl. She looked like
moonlight, Rento thought; John thought so, too, though he knew that the
resemblance went no further than looks. Her hair was soft and light,
with a silvery glint when the sun struck it, and it had a pretty trick
of falling down about her forehead in two Madonna-like bands, framing
the soft, rose-tinted cheeks sweetly enough, and hiding with the pale
shining tresses the narrowness of the white forehead.

Lena was apt to come with John, to whom she was always kind, though she
thought him "cracked," and after a little desultory hovering about the
shells, for which she did not really care, except when they were made up
with glass beads, she was apt to sit down on the after-deck, with John
beside her (unless the Skipper appeared, in which case the boy flew to
join his new friend), and with Franci, or Rento, or both, sure to be
near by. The monkeys never failed to come and nestle down beside the
boy, and examine his pockets and chatter confidentially in his ear; and
John always nodded and seemed to understand, which Lena considered
foolishness. She thought she came out of pure kindness for the boy,
because "that old gimlet never would let him come alone, and the child