"But are you strong enough yet? Let me go with you."

"No, sir; no. Blanche, come here." He took the child in his arms,
surveyed her wistfully, and kissed her. "You have never given me pain,
Blanche: say,'God bless and prosper you, father!'"

"God bless and prosper my dear, dear papa!" said Blanche, putting her
little hands together, as if in prayer.

"There--that should bring me luck, Blanche," said the Captain, gayly,
and setting her down. Then seizing his cane from the servant, and
putting on his hat with a determined air, he walked stoutly forth; and I
saw him, from the window, march along the streets as cheerfully as if he
had been besieging Badajoz.

"God prosper thee too!" said I, involuntarily.

And Blanche took hold of my hand, and said in her prettiest way (and her
pretty ways were many), "I wish you would come with us, cousin Sisty,
and help me to love papa. Poor papa! he wants us both,--he wants all
the love we can give him."

"That he does, my dear Blanche; and I think it a great mistake that we
don't all live together. Your papa ought not to go to that tower of his
at the world's end, but come to our snug, pretty house, with a garden
full of flowers, for you to be Queen of the May,--from May to November;
to say nothing of a duck that is more sagacious than any creature in the
Fables I gave you the other day."