CONCLUSION. 341 
saw her dreams of wealth depart, I suppose we ought to 
be so thankful to have you back again, and to have 
escaped all the fearful dangers of last winter, that we 
shouldn't complain when we find it has all been a wild- 
goose chase." 
" Never mind," said Flossie, trying to be brave under 
the disappointment. We've enough left, papa ; and 
perhaps it would have made us proud and disagreeable 
if we had been awfully rich." 
"I did hope," began poor Mrs. Dutton, who found it 
hard to relinquish all the plans she had made, I did 
hope we might endow an institution, and call it ^ Dutton 
University,' but there ! — I'll try not to think of it again. 
Did you bring money enough to pay our fares home, John, 
from Sitka ? " 
" There, there, Ella ! don't take on about it," said Mr. 
Dutton ; and he actually laughed. 
His wife looked up sympathetically at what she thought 
his heroic effort to be cheerful ; but there was actually a 
twinkle in his eye. It loas provoking, you know, when 
she was trying so hard to bear up under this culminating 
misfortune. 
''1 really don't see, John," she began, in a hurt tone, 
her lips quivering a little, " what you can find amusing in 
it. To say nothing of my having dragged myself a thou- 
sand miles or more through these woods, and suffering 
such torments of anxiety as I have about Floss, T have 
had my hopes raised about that mountain. I didn't mean 
