In the latter part of the voyage I had frequent conversations with Miss Violet, who had a good many questions to ask about the United States, and the way the people lived there. She asked about the cities, and I was obliged to say that I knew nothing about them. I told her I had been in only one large city, Boston, and remained there only a very short time. "I suppose," said Miss Violet, "that you came directly from the country to go on board the Washington, did you not?" "Yes, miss," I answered; "my friend David and I walked from our homes in New Hampshire to Boston; and the very morning we arrived there we signed the ship's articles and went on board the Washington." "Then you don't know what a great city is. I hope sometime you will be able to see London and go all over it. You will have to stay some time to do it," she added with a laugh, "as London is the greatest city in the world." I replied that I believed it was, and probably my sailor's life would take me there some time. She was very much interested in the account I gave her of country life in New Hampshire,--of the deep snows in winter; the distance between houses; the long distance we had to go to church on Sunday; and the schools we attended in winter. I told her all about our farm-life,--how we worked in the fields in planting-time, haying-season, and harvest, and what we had on our tables for our meals at different seasons of the year. Every time I had a conversation with her, her younger sister listened for a while with almost as much interest as Miss Violet did, but after a time she grew listless and turned away. When she did so I usually thought I had talked quite enough, and so I changed or dropped the subject, and then proceeded about my duties. I had been relieved from standing watch, as the reader knows, but I slept in the forecastle just as I had before being appointed cabin-boy. My companions joked me a good deal about my new associations, and said they expected I wouldn't condescend to look at them any more. It was amusing enough at first; but after a time it grew wearisome, and I intimated as much to Haines. Thereupon Haines passed the word that the sport at my expense might as well come to an end. Most of the watch acted upon his suggestion and gave me no more annoyance. Others kept it up for a while, until they received a more vigorous reminder, and one of them persisted in it until he had a little game of fisticuffs with Haines. The row was all over in a few minutes, as all the rest of the crew took Haines's part. At the suggestion of one of them the combatants shook hands and forgave each other, and from this time on I was no longer the subject of ridicule.