May I hope for the pleasure of visiting it when I recover the free use of my limbs ?" "That will not be for some weeks, sir; and in the mean while I will take your request into consideration," she answered demurely.
The morning passed very rapidly to the captain; the children amused him with their prattle, and when after an hour or two, Rosie grew tired of the bit of fancy-work she was doing under her sister's supervision, and yielded to Walter's entreaties to "come to the nursery and build block-houses," thus leaving Violet his sole companion, the moments sped faster than before; for he found her a very interesting and entertaining conversationist.
On their return the shopping-party brought with them the articles he had mentioned.

He pronounced them all entirely satisfactory, and they were packed and sent northward with the addition of some pretty things for the dolls, contributed by Violet and Rosie.
Some unusual impulse of fatherly solicitude and affection led the captain to put his own address upon several envelopes in each writing-desk, stamping them also and adding a note to each of the three children.
To Max and Lulu he said that he wanted letters from them which should not pass through the hands of a third person, "letters that should be like a bit of private chat with papa." Seeing how tenderly and carefully the little Travillas were nurtured and what love was lavished upon them, had turned his thoughts frequently upon his own motherless ones, and set him to thinking and asking himself rather anxiously how they were faring in those respects.

He had come to realize more thoroughly than ever before his responsibility as a parent.
The Christmas work which had kept Violet busy in her studio was now finished, and henceforth she spent much more of her time with the rest of the family; greatly to Captain Raymond's satisfaction, for much as he admired the other ladies and enjoyed conversing with them and with Mr.
Dinsmore, he was quite conscious of a constant uneasiness and discontent when Violet absented herself from the room.
His admiration for her beauty and grace had been unbounded from the first, and gradually as he discovered more and more of her sterling worth, her sweetness and unselfishness of disposition, her talent, industry, and genuine piety, his heart had gone out to her in ardent affection; in fact with a deeper and stronger love than he had ever before known or dreamed of.
He began to ask himself how he could ever go away and leave her, and whether he dared seek to make her his own.

He was fully as loath as Donald Keith to appear in the role of fortune-hunter.

Would Mr.Dinsmore and his daughter, so noble themselves, be ready to impute so unworthy a motive to him?
He hoped not, he believed they would judge him by themselves.