"Has your course been finally settled?" asked Ellsworth. "Yes; we are to circumnavigate Long-Island." "You will have an agreeable cruise, I dare say, with a pleasant set of messmates; Hubert de Vaux is a good fellow himself, and Stryker is in his element on such occasions." "We are to have Charlie Hubbard too, and Harman Van Horne." "How long will you be gone?" said Elinor. "Some ten days, or a fortnight at the very farthest." "Can we see anything of Mr. de Vaux's boat from here?" asked Mrs. Creighton, stepping on the piazza. "Only her masts; in this direction, near the grove," replied Harry. "She is a schooner, and a beautiful craft, too." "Miss Wyllys, you should coax Mr. de Vaux to give the ladies a pic-nic when he returns," said Mrs. Creighton. "No doubt he would be happy to do so, if you were to express the wish," said Elinor. "Unfortunately I shall not be here. Wyllys-Roof is a dangerous place, one always stays here too long; but I cannot positively afford more than a day or two at present; I have promised to be in town on Thursday." Elinor expressed her regrets very hospitably; and they were soon after summoned to dinner. In the evening, Hubert de Vaux and the gentlemen from Broadlawn, engaged for the cruise, walked in. Charlie Hubbard was there too; he had remained in Philadelphia during the whole trial, and had just returned home that morning. "And so you are positively going to-morrow," said Mr. Wyllys to young de Vaux. "Positively; at six in the morning." "Is it part of your plan, to stow yourselves away at night in the Petrel?" "The Petrel's cabin is not to be despised, I assure you, sir. It has six as good berths as those of any North-River sloop that ever carried passengers in days of yore. But we shall only sleep on board occasionally, for the fun of the thing." {"North-River sloop" = the Hudson River was also called the North River, and before steamboats, passengers travelled between New York and Albany by what were known as Hudson River or North River sloops} "At what places do you intend to put into port?" "We are going to shoot for a day or two on Long-Island; and we shall let the Yankees have a sight of the Petrel, at New Haven, Sachem's-Head, and Nantucket." {"Sachem's Head" = Sachem Head harbor is about 10 miles east of New Haven, Connecticut} "I have no doubt you will have a pleasant excursion." "Our only difficulty at present seems the prospect of too much comfort," said Charlie. "Mrs. de Vaux expressed some fears of a famine at Longbridge in consequence of this cruise, we carry off such a stock of provisions." "Not a bit too much; people always want twice as much on a party of pleasure as at other times," said Hubert de Vaux.