"I am glad you did not. But, Kate, you needn't stay in here any longer. We have got rid of Tom Thornton, and you may go out and look at the scenery, if you wish. Have you been to dinner?"
"Yes, the steward gave me some dinner. He was very good to me, and I want to thank him ever so much for his kindness."
When we left the state-room, we were surrounded by the curious passengers, and I was obliged to tell them the adventures I had gone through with. I left Kate with a lady and gentleman who manifested an interest in her, and went down to my dinner, and when I paid for it I paid for Kate's also. When I went on deck, I found that I was a lion, and the passengers insisted upon hearing me roar. They asked questions with Yankee pertinacity, and I finally told a select party of them that I had taken Kate out of her step-mother's house by the way of the attic window, but I was careful not to call any names, for if Mrs. Loraine behaved herself, I did not care to expose her to the public.
"You are a smart young man," said an elderly gentleman, heartily. "Does your father live in this State?"
"I have no father, sir," I replied; and I had dodged a dozen similar questions before.
"No father. I suppose you live with your mother," he added, with the evident intention of drawing me out.
"No, sir. My mother is in England, where I hope soon to join her."
"Ah, in England!" he added, with increasing interest. "In what part does she reside?"
"I do not yet know."
Perhaps he thought it was very odd I should not know.