“What a nice, dark-eyed woman she is,” said Mrs. Marvin; “such a sweet voice, and she looks quite pretty when she smiles and shows her white teeth; and she knows a little English, too; she said ‘milk,’ and ‘bread,’ and several other words. What is her name?”
“Terebare,” Mat informed her, “which means in her language, ‘Rainbow.’”
“And a pretty name, too. I shall go and talk with her, if I may.”
“Oh, please do! They are a bit dull; it is such a new life to them.”
And Mrs. Marvin departed, laden with good things for our chief and his wife.
Before they went to bed that night, our brothers adjourned with Captain Marvin for another consultation.
As soon as they were comfortably seated behind a couple of the captain’s best cigars, he said,—
“I have looked over your journal, and if you would write it out at length, I should like to show it to our publishers; I know that they would agree with me that it would make an interesting and valuable book. You have described unknown native customs, besides dwelling upon the different sorts of country (most important this); nor have you forgotten to jot down useful notes about geology and plants. It will sell. Many words have got rubbed out, but doubtless you know what they are.
“We will re-write it carefully then,” said Mat, “now we can get pens, ink, and paper; and leave it in your charge. But now about this lecture. We have talked about it, and I will try it if you will first let me try speaking—as though I was talking to a lot of people, I mean—in this room, before you, when we’re quite alone.”
Captain Marvin was delighted to hear that Mat would give the lecture, and promised to help him. “We will settle the day as soon as we can,” he said. “To-morrow will be Sunday, there is rather a famous man going to preach in the evening in a church close by, and if you are so inclined why there is plenty of room for us all in the Governor’s pew.”