He was eager to hear and see and learn all he could; and though Jacob's ideas were few and his powers of observation limited, he was still able to answer a great many of the eager questions that came crowding to the lips of the stranger as they walked the streets together.

And when Cuthbert accompanied Jacob to his home, Abraham Dyson could fill up all the blank in his son's story, and was secretly not a little pleased with Cuthbert's keen intelligence and ready interest.
The Dysons were merchants in a small way of business, but were thriving and thrifty folks.

They and the Holts had been in close relations one with the other for more than one generation, and any relative of Martin Holt's would have been welcome at their house.
Cuthbert was liked on his own account; and soon he became greatly fascinated by the river-side traffic, took the greatest interest in the vessels that came to the wharves to be unladed, and delighted in going aboard and making friends with the sailors.

He quickly came to learn the name of every part of the ship, and to pick up a few ideas on the subject of navigation.

Whenever a vessel came in from the New World but recently discovered, he would try to get on board and question the sailors about the wonders they had seen.
Afterwards he would discourse to Jacob or to Cherry of the things he had learned, and would win more and more admiration from both by his brilliant powers of imagination and description.
So the river became, as it were, a second home to him.