52 THE HALL OP SHELLS. 



" Aphrodite," explained the doctor, " was a 

 maiden lovely and loving, vi^hom the old Greeks 

 said sprang from the foam of the sea : her car 

 vpas represented as drawn by a dove or a spar- 

 row or sometimes a swan. Who or what will 

 keep lis 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 is 

 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- 

 plied 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 



