Produced by Roger Frank, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: Froll's Antics.--Page 54.] [Illustrated title plate: Springdale Stories. Illustrated. ERIC. Lee & Shepard; BOSTON.] THE SPRINGDALE STORIES. ERIC; OR, UNDER THE SEA. BY MRS. S. B. C. SAMUELS, AUTHOR OF "ADELE," "HERBERT," "NETTIE'S TRIAL," "JOHNSTONE'S FARM," "ENNISFELLEN." BOSTON LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM NEW YORK Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY LEE AND SHEPARD, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Electrotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry. AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO FRANK EDWARD SAMUELS. THE SPRINGDALE STORIES. COMPLETE IN SIX VOLUMES, 1. ADELE. 2. ERIC. 3. HERBERT. 4. NETTIE'S TRIAL. 5. JOHNSTONE'S FARM. 6. ENNISFELLEN. PREFACE. The story of the travels of Eric and his friends on the continent of Europe will, I trust, be interesting to my young readers. Many of the incidents described are actual facts, and the descent of Eric, in diving armor, to the bottom of the sea, will be found to possess some items which will be worth remembering. The sights, sounds, and sensations which I have described, are such as any submarine diver of experience has seen, heard, and felt, and therefore will be instructive in a certain way. The finding a box of gold by the divers is not of often occurrence, although valuables are reclaimed from the ocean in this manner occasionally. The lesson taught by Eric's honesty in trying to find the owner of the money, and its influence on his accusers, when he is unjustly accused of theft, will be worthy of attention to all my young friends who have a name to make. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Leaving the Castle. 9 II. "The Hague." 23 III. The City. 30 IV. Allan's Story. 39 V. "Seeing the Elephant." 50 VI. A Dutch City. 62 VII. Under the Sea. 70 VIII. Thrilling Experience. 92 IX. Uncle John. 106 X. Strasbourg. 120 XI. Eric in Trouble. 135 XII. "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed." 145 XIII. The Real Thief. 153 XIV. Percy, Beauty, and Jack. 159 XV. The Last. 167 ERIC. CHAPTER I. LEAVING THE CASTLE.