father's form, Barbara and Bettina turned and looked at each other with
tearful eyes; and the unspoken thought of one was, "We _will_ come home
all that you long for us to be, dear papa!" and of the other, "Oh, I do
hope we shall understand what you wish, and learn what and wherever we
can!" and both thoughts meant the same thing and bore the same earnest
purpose.

"Come girls," said Mrs. Douglas, who had keenly observed them without
appearing to do so, "it is best for us all to go to our staterooms
directly and unpack our steamer-trunks. Perhaps in even an hour or two
we may not feel so much like doing it as we do now."

As they passed through the end of the dining-saloon, whose tables were
laden with bouquets of fresh and fragrant flowers, brought by loving
friends to many of the passengers, Malcom's quick eye spied a little
pile of letters on the end of a corner table.

"I wonder," said he, as he turned back to look them over, "if anybody
thought to write to us."

Returning with an envelope in his hands, he cried:--

"What will you give for a letter from home already, Barbara and Betty?"

"For us!" exclaimed the girls, "a letter from home for us! Why, we never
thought such a thing could be! How did it get here? Did papa bring one
and put it here?"

But no, for the letter addressed in the dear mother's handwriting was
clearly stamped, and its appearance testified that it had come through