“I want to see my room,” said Lulu, hurrying toward the open door; then, as she gained a view of the whole interior, “I should say it was small! one window, one chair, a single bed, a little bit of a wash-stand, and just barely room to move back and forth beside the bed. How different from my lovely rooms at home!” she ended with a pout and frown.
“I am sorry it is not more to your liking, my dear child,” the captain remarked, in a kindly, sympathizing tone, “but it cannot be helped now. Does my little girl begin to wish her father had left her at home?” he asked, laying his hand tenderly on her head, for he had followed her and now stood close at her side.
“Oh, no, no, dear papa! and I’m quite ashamed of my grumbling,” she returned, taking his hand in both of hers and laying her cheek affectionately against it.
“You wouldn’t do to go into the navy, Lu, if you can’t put up with narrow quarters sometimes,” remarked Max sportively. “So it’s a good thing you’re not a boy.”
“Of course it is,” she answered in a sprightly tone. “Who that might be a girl would ever want to be a boy? Not I, I’m sure.”
“Not even for the sake of being able to grow up into such a man as papa?”
“No, I couldn’t have any hope of that anyhow, for there’s nobody in all the world like papa—so dear and good and kind and handsome and—”
“There, that will do,” laughed the captain, bending down and stopping the next word with a kiss full upon her lips; “it is enough, and more than enough, and we must be getting rid of the dust of travel and making ourselves neat for the tea-table,” he added.
“Yes, sir; I’m glad to be out of the cars for a while, after being in them so long; and these rooms are neat as wax, if the furniture is scanty, and poor, and plain. I shan’t mind that a bit, as it’s only for a short time, and I wouldn’t have been left behind for anything. I hope I’ll not complain any more, papa; I don’t intend to. But,” in sudden dismay, “oh, where am I to put my trunk?”
Her father and brother both laughed at her perplexed, woebegone countenance.