"I  know  my  father  was  very  poor  when  my  mother  died,
and  I  think  (though  he  never  told  me  so)  that  he  had  mort-
gaged our  cottage,  and  was  very  near  having  to  sell  it  at  one
time.  The  expenses  of  ray  mother's  illness  had  been  very  heavy ;
I  know  a  great  deal  of  the  best  furniture  was  sold — all,  indeed,
except  a  handsome  annchair,  and  a  little  work-table  of  my
mother's.  She  used  to  sit  in  the  chair,  in  her  last  illness,  on
our  lawn,  and  watch  the  sunsets.  And  he  sat  by  her,  and
watched  her,  and  sometimes  read  the  Bible  to  .her ;  while  I
played  about  with  a  big  black  dog  we  had  then,  named  Vin-
cent, after  my  father's  old  captain  ;  or  with  Burt,  his  old  boat-
swain, who  came  with  his  wife  to  live  with  my  father  before  I
can  recollect,  and  lives  with  us  still.  He  did  everything  in
the  garden  and  about  the  house  ;  and  in  the  house,  too,  when
his  wife  was  ill,  for  he  can  turn  his  band  to  anything,  like  most
old  salts.  It  was  he  who  rigged  up  the  mast  and  weathercock
on  the  lawn,  and  used  to  let  me  run  up  the  old  flag  on  Sundays,
and  on  my  father's  wedding  day,  and  on  the  anniversary  of  his
action,  and  of  Vincent's  action  in  the  Arroio.
