"It's another loud call," said Miss Ruey, "and I hope it will turn the young people from their thoughts of dress and vanity,--there's Mary Jane Sanborn was all took up with gettin' feathers and velvet for her fall bonnet. I don't think I shall get no bonnet this year till snow comes. My bonnet's respectable enough,--don't you think so?" "Certainly, Aunt Ruey, it looks very well." "Well, I'll have the pork and beans and brown-bread all hot on table agin you come back," said Miss Ruey, "and then after dinner we'll all go down to the funeral together. Mis' Pennel, there's one thing on my mind,--what you goin' to call this 'ere boy?" "Father and I've been thinkin' that over," said Mrs. Pennel. "Wouldn't think of giv'n him the Cap'n's name?" said Aunt Ruey. "He must have a name of his own," said Captain Pennel. "Come here, sonny," he called to the child, who was playing just beside the door. The child lowered his head, shook down his long black curls, and looked through them as elfishly as a Skye terrier, but showed no inclination to come. "One thing he hasn't learned, evidently," said Captain Pennel, "and that is to mind." "Here!" he said, turning to the boy with a little of the tone he had used of old on the quarter-deck, and taking his small hand firmly. The child surrendered, and let the good man lift him on his knee and stroke aside the clustering curls; the boy then looked fixedly at him with his great gloomy black eyes, his little firm-set mouth and bridled chin,--a perfect little miniature of proud manliness. "What's your name, little boy?" The great eyes continued looking in the same solemn quiet. "Law, he don't understand a word," said Zephaniah, putting his hand kindly on the child's head; "our tongue is all strange to him. Kittridge says he's a Spanish child; may be from the West Indies; but nobody knows,--we never shall know his name." "Well, I dare say it was some Popish nonsense or other," said Aunt Ruey; "and now he's come to a land of Christian privileges, we ought to give him a good Scripture name, and start him well in the world." "Let's call him Moses," said Zephaniah, "because we drew him out of the water." "Now, did I ever!" said Miss Ruey; "there's something in the Bible to fit everything, ain't there?" "I like Moses, because I had a brother of that name," said Mrs. Pennel. The child had slid down from his protector's knee, and stood looking from one to the other gravely while this discussion was going on. What change of destiny was then going on for him in this simple formula of adoption, none could tell; but, surely, never orphan stranded on a foreign shore found home with hearts more true and loving. "Well, wife, I suppose we must be goin'," said Zephaniah.