"I do not know, mother," he answered; "but I presume the Captain will say that shall be just as his passengers wish."
"Yes, I am sure father will say we may all do exactly as we please," said Lucilla; "go ashore, or stay quietly on the yacht while others go and return."
"It cannot be now the delightful place to visit that it was before the hurricane of last August," remarked Chester.
"No," said Grandma Elsie, "and I think I, for one, do not care to land on the island until they have had more time to recover from the fearful effects of that terrible storm."
"What mischief did it do, grandma?" asked Ned; "were there houses destroyed and people killed?"
"Yes; a great many," she answered, with a sigh. "I have read that in one district it was estimated that the damage done to houses and crops would reach nine hundred thousand in gold, and that in the valley of the Rio de Grande over a thousand persons disappeared, and were supposed to have been drowned by the sudden rise and overflow of the river."
"And you, mother, I know gave liberally to help repair the damages," said Harold.
"I was better able than many others who may have been quite as willing," she responded, "and I think I can do still more, if I find the need is still urgent."
"Yes, mother dear, you seem always ready and glad to help any one who needs it," said Harold, giving her a look full of proud, loving admiration.
Captain Raymond had drawn near the group just in time to hear Harold's last remark.