52 THE HALL OF SHELLS. 
“ Aphrodite,” explained the doctor, “was a 
maiden lovely and loving, whom the old Greeks 
said sprang from the foam of the sea: her car 
was represented as drawn by a dove or a spar- 
row or sometimes a swan. Who or what will 
keep us company and be like the dove or the 
swan I’m sure I don’t know.” 
“Cousin Ellen is like a dove,” lovingly 
whispered Undine. Dr. McLean glanced across 
at the gentle lady in the soft gray gown, and 
the expression upon his face told that he agreed 
with Undine. 
Tom questioned, “What kind of a boat 1s 
the Portuguese man-of-war? I can see neither 
steam nor sail along our beach,” he added dis- 
appointedly. 
“We shall find our craft none the less,” re- 
phed Dr. McLean. 
After passing down the beach for some dis- 
tance ‘Tom suddenly darted toward the water's 
edge, shouting: “The loveliest tangles of sea- 
weed! All colors!” 
“Tom, stop! Don’t touch that!” exclaimed 
Dr. McLean in a voice so stern and command- 
ing that Tom stopped at once, startled and 
troubled. He never had heard the minister 
speak with such severity before. Coming to 
Tom’s side the party now saw a singularly 
