He did very well with it in his peculiar
way; and since that he is one of the most interested in the lectures,--or
perhaps I had better call them simply talks," added the commander.
"Then this voyage will create a new taste for him."
"I have no doubt of it. He is a Fifth Avenue millionaire, and he is able to
cultivate any taste he may acquire. Mr. Belgrave is one of our most useful
speakers, for he studies his subjects very faithfully. He is a devoted
student, speaks French fluently, and gets along very well with Spanish.
This voyage is a college course for him."
"Do your ladies take an interest in these lectures, Captain Ringgold?"
"All of them, though I have assigned a subject to only one of them. They
all manifest their interest by asking questions. Like myself, Mrs. Belgrave
and Mrs. Blossom are Methodists, while the Woolridge family are
Episcopalians, though none of us are bigoted. The sisters of my church are
very favorable to religious topics, such as were suggested on the Nile; and
when we were near the land of Goshen and the Sinai peninsula Mrs. Belgrave
spoke to us in this connection. Mrs. Blossom is one of the "salt of the
earth," a very good woman, very religious, and her studies have been
confined to the Bible and her denominational newspapers. Her education was
neglected, and she is rather tonguey, so that she asks curious questions;
but we all esteem her very highly, though her American peculiarities may
seem very odd to you.
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