SHIP-BUILDING.
My story would grow too long were I to tell of all the employments,
amusements, and adventures, which made the months fly rapidly by with us
boys that summer and autumn long ago at Braycombe.
My cousin's companionship made me more than usually diligent in my
studies, and more than usually eager in my amusements; whilst the
watchful care of my parents seemed to screen me from many of the minor
trials and temptations which might otherwise have rendered me less happy
than I had been in former days.
I can remember now with admiration, how carefully they measured out
even-handed justice to my cousin and myself. They never seemed to forget
that they had promised Aleck should be as my brother, therefore every
arrangement took us equally into account. And although the meanness of
envy was held by them to be not only sinful, but contemptible, they were
quite alive to the keen sense of justice which is born with most
children, and would never violate it by the exercise of a partiality too
common amongst those who have the charge of the young, either with the
object of giving me as their child some special pleasure, or Aleck as
our visitor some special indulgence.
It was not long after the Stavemoor expedition that I was allowed to try
my horsemanship by mounting the gray. Rickson was on the alert; but had
it not been for his interposition, my equestrian pursuits would have
come to a very disastrous ending. I was convinced against my will of the
wisdom of my father's decision, that I should for the present be content
with my pony; relying, for consolation, on his promise that, before very
long, I should learn to manage the more spirited animal. In the meantime
I no longer felt it a trouble that my cousin's superior skill in this
respect should be recognized.
Aleck seemed to care less about the riding than I did. His passion for
the sea--for boats, sea-weeds, stones, caves, and cliffs, everything
directly and indirectly belonging to the sea--grew and strengthened upon
him. His special ambition was to succeed in constructing a rival to the
"Fair Alice;" but although honourable scars on his fingers bore witness
to the industry with which he plied his tools, his attempts at
ship-building had hitherto proved signal failures. I was more successful
in my carpentry than he was, and it was quite a pleasure to me to give
him all the help I could. Between us we at last produced something more
resembling a ship than all former attempts, and we rushed eagerly down
to the Cove one bright September afternoon, impatient for the launch.
Aleck and I had the Cove all to ourselves: old George had not been with
us so much as usual for weeks past; there were, indeed, few days we did
not see him, but he did not stay with us all through our play-time; he
would come and go, and come and go, until we boys would take to teasing
him with questions as to what it could be that kept him so much
occupied. I had my own private suspicions, and communicated them to
Aleck; but old George would throw no light upon the subject.
I had good reason for remembering that the 20th of September, now
drawing near, was my parents' wedding-day, my mother's birth-day, and
almost the greatest festival in the year to us at Braycombe. Old George,
who lay in wait for opportunities of giving me presents, always looked
upon this anniversary as one that would admit of no questioning, and
more than once the offering to me--by which he meant to show his love to
my parents--had been the result of many a long hour's secret work. The
"Fair Alice" had been my present on the preceding year, and I had dim
suspicions--built upon a certain hasty glance into a little room called
the work-shop at the back of the lodge--that something else was even now
in course of construction, which I half suspected to be a schooner-yacht
with two masts, such as I had more than once expressed a wish to
possess. But George was impenetrable, and kept the work-shop closely
bolted, so I had to nurse my curiosity until the 20th. It was the day
before this great occasion that Aleck and I ran down to launch our boat,
as before-mentioned.
Alas! we had scarcely pushed it out upon the water, when, with a roll
and lurch, it turned over upon its side, and floated like a wreck, in a
helpless and melancholy manner. We drew it up on shore again and set to
work; I cheerily and hopefully, feeling perfectly aware that everything
that was at all good in the workmanship was mine; Aleck mournfully,
knowing that all the faults in its construction were his.
"I wonder at Groves not coming," he said, presently; "I can't help
thinking he could tell me how to make it float straight."
"I'll just go and make him come," I replied; "he's been so little with
us the last few days, I'm sure he might find time."
Aleck agreed, and I set off to the lodge, leaving him to puzzle on by
himself over the manifold difficulties of ship-building. To bring old
George to the rescue, however, did not turn out the easy task that I had
anticipated. He was in the work-shop, the door safely bolted, and not
even the smallest aperture anywhere, through which I might discover the
nature of his employment. My persuasions were all carried on at a
disadvantage, and the conversation resolved itself into:--
"Please, George, _do_ come and help us; it's very important. Aleck wants
you particularly down at the Cove." This from my side of the door.
Then from his side:--"I'm afraid, Master Willie, I can't possibly find
the time; I'm very busy."
From my side:--"But Aleck's boat won't sail, and we've tried everything
to make it, and unless you come we can't do anything more."
From his side:--"I'll come to-morrow, Master Willie, and then see if we
don't get Master Aleck's ship to sail as merrily as the 'Fair Alice'
herself."
"Even _you_ will not be able to do so much as that," I rejoined;
whereupon a low chuckle of merriment and satisfaction was clearly
audible on the other side. I continued:--"It's very well to laugh, but
if you could see Aleck's boat all lying on one side, looking not so nice
even as the tub-boat in the 'Swiss Family Robinson,' you wouldn't think
it so easily made all right."
No answer; but click, click inside.
"At least, do tell me what you're working at," I said, growing
impatient, and battering at the door; "do tell me--there's a dear old
George."
"Work that can't be hindered by playing with two young gentlemen all the
afternoon. There, sir, now I've told you;" and another chuckle followed,
and click, click went on as before.
I had no excuse for lingering longer. George was like a besieged
garrison within a secure fortress; there was no chance of enticing him
out beyond the shelter of his walls. So I could only return discomfited
to the Cove.
"There's no use trying," I said to Aleck. "All that old George will
promise is to come out to-morrow, and make your boat sail as well as the
'Fair Alice' herself: those are his words."
"He's not very likely to be able to do that," responded Aleck, dolefully
surveying our workmanship. "I've been trying to trim it with a stone
stuck securely on and tarred over; but look, even that has come off
again, and it will do nothing but turn over in that wretched way. If I
had been trying to construct a wreck now, I'm sure I couldn't have made
anything more like."
"And that's something, after all," I said, encouragingly. "It's not
every one that could have made a wreck."
But my cousin took little comfort from the suggestion; he stood looking
and pondering, until, at last, after some minutes' pause, he drew a long
breath and exclaimed, as if from depths of internal conviction, "I'll
tell you what; I must pull it all to pieces, and put it together quite
afresh--from the beginning."
"A strong-minded decision, and spoken out most heroically, Mr.
Shipbuilder!" said a voice from behind, and we started at finding my
father had come upon us so quietly that we had not perceived him. "You
two boys are just like a pair of doctors consulting over a bad case;
only you've come to what is happily rather an unusual conclusion,
namely, that the best plan is to kill the patient!"
"I think the patient's dead already," answered Aleck, tragically.
"And you're only going to dissect him--is that it?" asked my father
merrily, inspecting the boat, and listening with interest to the various
measures which had already been tried and had failed. "Well," he added,
"if my opinion as a consulting physician is to be taken, I should
recommend Groves as the best surgeon; his advice to be followed in every
particular, and all operations he may suggest to be duly performed."
"We've asked him," we both exclaimed, "and he said he was too busy to
come."
"But," I added, "he promises that to-morrow he will make Aleck's boat
sail as well as mine."
"His must be uncommonly clever fingers if they are equal to that task,"
said my father doubtingly; "but, as I said before, Surgeon Groves is the
man for your bad case. And now I should like to know which of you means
to stay at home to-morrow morning and learn the lessons which ought to
be prepared this afternoon, and which will not be ready unless we are
betaking ourselves home very soon? You, Willie?"
"No, papa," I said, "nor Aleck either; we mean to have a very
delightful, long, whole holiday, and to do no lessons at all, not the
very smallest little bit of one." And so saying, we picked up the boat
and various other belongings, and, one on each side of my father, took
the way of the Zig-zag up towards home.
"We haven't quite settled all we are going to do to-morrow, papa," I
proceeded; "but if we may, we want to have the boat in the morning, and
sail the 'Fair Alice,' and go out to some place for madrepores; and
George is going to see about Aleck's boat too. And then, in the
afternoon, we would play cricket with you, dear papa."
"I am much obliged to you, Willie," answered my father, playfully bowing
to me, "and feel greatly honoured at your kind arrangement for my
amusement. Perhaps you have planned for your mamma also; is she to
field-out when I take my innings? or possibly she will bowl!"
"Auntie couldn't soon put you out if she were to bowl," said Aleck,
laughing; "it would not do to trust Auntie with the ball."
"Then, perhaps, the wicket?" suggested my father.
"Now, papa, you know," I interposed, "you will be all alone with dear
mamma in the morning--you always are--but you always do play with me in
the afternoon; and now that Aleck is here to play also, it will be so
jolly. Please, dear papa, do say you will."
"Shall I say, like the poor people, _I'll consider of it?_" answered my
father. "But allow me to state to you both that I am at present
considering another thing, which is, that so long as I have you two boys
clinging one at each side of me, I am reduced to the necessity of
climbing this steep hill with a matter of twelve stone in tow, and that
at my time of life I ought rather to be looking upon you young people as
crutches to assist my failing steps."
"Do use me as a crutch, papa!" I exclaimed.
"Please, uncle, let me be another crutch," chimed in Aleck, and we
insinuated ourselves into what we thought a convenient position under
his elbows. Whereupon, suddenly bringing his weight down upon us, and
contriving a dexterous movement towards the bank, my father landed us
both on our backs amidst the grass and the ferns, and was off at such a
pace that we were some time in catching him up again, out of breath as
we were with the fall, and the laughing, and the running up the hill.
"Isn't papa great fun?" I asked my cousin, as we were in pursuit.
"Glorious!" was his only response; but I thought it quite sufficient.