Wednesday noon
He and the little girls were to start on their return journey that evening , and good-by was said at the Academy door . A very hard one it seemed to the little girls , hardly less so to Max and his father . The captain and his daughters went by boat , as less fatiguing for Grace , and reached home on Monday . The next day was a busy one to all , and Wednesday noon saw them on the cars , bound for New Orleans . A day and night were spent in the city , then they took the steamer for Berwick Bay . The morning was clear and bright and the captain , Violet , and the children all sat upon deck , greatly enjoying the breeze and the dancing of the waves in the sunlight , as the vessel cleared its port and steamed out into the gulf . `` Oh , it is so pleasant here ! ''