“Oh, it is so pleasant here!” exclaimed Grace; “just like summer.  And see the beautiful rainbow in the water that the wheel throws up!”

“Oh, yes; so pretty, oh, so pretty!” cried little Elsie, clapping her hands in delight.

“Oh, so pitty!” echoed baby Ned.

“Take care, little ones; I fear you may fall overboard,” warned the captain.  “Come and sit on papa’s knee, and perhaps mamma will kindly tell us of all the lovely things we will see at Viamede.”

They obeyed and were charmed with mamma’s story of what she had done and seen at Viamede when she was a little girl, and of dear grandma being once a baby girl in the very same house, and how dearly all the old servants loved her, and how they mourned when she was taken away to live with her grandpa at Roseland.

The babies and even the older folks, not excepting papa himself, seemed deeply interested, and more delighted than before that they were so soon to see Viamede.

At length Ned fell asleep, Elsie presently followed his example, and older people were left to the quiet enjoyment of the lovely scenes through which they were passing; for they had now entered Teche Bayou, and from that pressed on, threading the way through lake and lakelet, past plantation and swamp, plain and forest, coming upon cool, shady dells carpeted with a rich growth of velvety grass, and flowers of varied hue, and shaded by magnificent trees, oaks and magnolias; while amid groves of orange trees they could see lordly villas, tall white sugar-houses and rows of cabins where the negro laborers dwelt.

“A beautiful, beautiful country,” remarked the captain, breaking a prolonged silence.

“Quite up to your expectations, my dear?” queried Violet, glancing up at him, her eyes shining with pleasure.

“I believe it rather exceeds them,” he replied, “it is very, very lovely! an earthly paradise, so far as beauty can make it such.”

“Papa, do you suppose you will know which is Viamede when you see it?” queried Lulu.

“I very much doubt it, daughter,” he answered.

“Yes, sir; there it is, just coming into sight; the sugar-house, at least, and yonder, a little beyond, is the great orange orchard.”

“And it’s just beautiful!” cried Grace.  “See, papa, the orange trees, with their beautiful, glossy leaves and ripe and green fruit, and flowers all on them at once.”

“And presently we will come to the beautiful lawn, with its giant oaks, magnolia trees, velvety grass and lovely flowers,” exclaimed Lulu.  “Oh, I am so much obliged to dear Grandma Elsie, for inviting us all to spend the winter here again!”

“Yes, it was very kind,” her father said, “and I hope my children will do nothing to mar the peace of the household, and so distress Mamma Vi’s dear mother.”

“I do intend to be a very good girl, papa, and if I begin to be the least bit bad, I do hope you’ll stop it at once by punishing me well and making me behave myself,” Lulu said, in a low, earnest tone, speaking close to his ear.