They all stepped into the boat, and were pushed off, and after a little rocking to and fro, which no longer frightened the children, two sails were hoisted, and as there was more wind now, the boat went much quicker.
Soon the little girls said, ‘How cold it is!’ for the wind blew strong; and Mary put their cloaks about them, and little Beatrice crept on to her grandmamma’s lap, and soon fell asleep, for she was very tired.
Alice sat between her grandmamma and Mary, and talked the whole way. She had so many things to ask about; and she made Bartlett tell her about his little girls at home, who had no mother.
The sailor told Alice that his eldest girl kept his house clean and neat, and cooked the dinner, and looked after the little ones.
‘Do your little boys and girls go to school, Bartlett?’ asked Alice.
‘Yes, miss, they all go; and it is a very nice school. They learn to read and write very nicely, and the little girls learn to sew.’
‘Can Jack swim, Bartlett?’ she asked again.
‘No, not yet, for I have not much time to teach him.’
‘Not yet! Why, Jack is older than I am, and grandmamma says that I must learn to swim next summer.’
‘But, dear Alice, how can Jack learn to swim if his father has not the time to teach him?’