The _Starlight_ was in Gloucester harbor for three days, and Rob and
Phyllis went on board with mamma one day, to lunch with Arthur and
Helen and their mamma. They had never been on a yacht before. They
were surprised to find it so pretty. It was finished in beautiful
mahogany with a great deal of brass-work, the latter brightly shining,
too, for the housekeeping on a yacht is always first-rate.
The ceiling of the cabin was of blue satin, and so were the curtains,
which hung before the funny little windows, and at the doors. On each
side of the cabin was a long seat covered with blue satin cushions.
These cushions lifted up, and underneath were kept books, dishes,
clothes, in fact, all sorts of things. Every bit of room on a vessel
is always precious, there can be so little of it, anyway. Helen showed
Phyllis her sleeping room. It was a mite of a place, about half as big
as the bed Phyllis slept in at home. The walls were lined with blue
satin and the bed was covered with blue satin, and it was a real blue
satin nest for a little girl, instead of for a bird.
Then they went on deck to watch the sailors, who were running up and
down the rigging. Arthur has been on his father's yacht so much, for
his father owns the _Starlight_, that he can run up and down the
ratlines almost as fast as the sailors can. The ratlines are the rope
ladders you see in the picture. There was on board a big Newfoundland
dog named Gil. Arthur's aunt Lou told them a story about Gil.
[Illustration: THE YACHT STARLIGHT.]