"Lily," continued the captain, reading the second suggestion.
The good-natured looks expanded into smiles.
"Lily," the principal said again, as he drew out the third paper. The smile became a little more intense.
"Lily," repeated the principal once more, and then he emptied all the slips of paper from the envelope, and began to sort them over.
Principal, instructors and students were all laughing merrily by this time. It was evident that the boys were very impressible fellows, and had been captivated by the beauty of Miss Bristol. Possibly some of them were disturbed because they found that others had made the same selection as their own.
"They are not all alike," said Captain Gildrock, when he had finished sorting the papers. "Only about two thirds of them are 'Lily.' It is certainly a very pretty name, and there is no flower more pure and beautiful than the lily. But the name is rather general and indefinite. We have the tiger lily, the lily of the valley, the pond lily, and other kinds. What do you say to calling the schooner the Pond Lily?"
"No, sir!" shouted a majority of the students, with one voice.
"The Tiger Lily, then?"
"No, sir," was the emphatic reply.
"Then Lily of the Valley?"