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 "Very happy, Brose," replied Miss Comfort softly. "Happier than a person has any right to be at my time of life, I guess. Isn't it wonderful?" Her gaze swept over the little white room with its blue and white curtains aflutter in the sunlit breeze and all her friendly belongings about. "Doesn't the picture of grandfather's ship look beautifully there, Brose?"

Brose agreed that it did. Every one else agreed that it did. Secretly, however, Bob, who had hung the article, told himself that that representation of a barkantine with all sails set plowing through a muddy-green sea had probably been done by the village sign-painter!

After that Miss Comfort arose and minutely inspected every inch of her domain, listening to Laurie's somewhat involved explanation of the water system not yet installed, to Ned's story of the roof-garden above, to Polly's reason for placing the wash-boiler here and the knife-board there, and to Mae's confidences regarding the whereabouts of the linen. Then she was taken off along the deck to see where the coal and wood were kept. At intervals Laurie took a slip of paper from a pocket and surreptitiously wrote