No one was to be told who the child was or where she came from.

"What they don't know won't hurt 'em any," declared Captain Cy.
And Emily's answer to inquiring souls who would fain have delved into her past was to the effect that "Uncle Cyrus" didn't like to have her talk about herself.
"I don't know's I'm ashamed of anything I've done so far," said the captain; "but I ain't braggin', either.

Time enough to talk when I send her back to Betsy." That time, apparently, was not in the near future.

The girl stayed on at the Whittaker place and grew to be more and more a part of it.

At the end of the second week Captain Cy began calling her "Bos'n." "A bos'n's a mighty handy man aboard ship," he explained, "and you're so handy here that it fits in first rate.