The tea-bell rang, and Elsie hastened away to answer the summons.
She looked across the table at Arthur with a pleasant smile on her
countenance, but he averted his eyes with an angry scowl; and with
a slight sigh she turned away her head, and did not look at him
again during the meal.

Pompey executed his commission faithfully; and when Elsie returned
to her own room after her evening hour with Miss Rose, Chloe
pointed out the little ship standing on the mantel.

"Oh! it's a little beauty," cried Elsie, clapping her hands and
dancing up and down with delight; "how Arthur will be pleased!
Now, mammy, can you take it to the school-room, and put it on
Master Arthur's desk, without anybody seeing you?"

"Ole Chloe'll try, darlin," she said, taking it in her hands.

"Oh! wait one moment," exclaimed Elsie, and taking a card, she
wrote on it, "A present to Arthur, from his niece Elsie." Then
laying it on the deck of the little vessel. "There, mammy," she
said, "I think that will do; but please look out first to see
whether any one is in the hall."

"Coast all clear, darlin'," replied Chloe, after a careful survey;
"all de chillens am in bed before dis time, I spec." And taking a
candle in one hand and the little ship in the other, she started
for the school-room. She soon returned with a broad grin of
satisfaction on her black face, saying, "All right, darlin', I put
him on Massa Arthur's desk, an' nobody de wiser."