CHAPTER V.
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 usboys that summer and autumn long ago at Braycombe.
My cousin's companionship made me more than usually diligent in mystudies, and more than usually eager in my amusements; whilst thewatchful care of my parents seemed to screen me from many of the minortrials and temptations which might otherwise have rendered me less happythan I had been in former days.
I can remember now with admiration, how carefully they measured outeven-handed justice to my cousin and myself. They never seemed to forgetthat they had promised Aleck should be as my brother, therefore everyarrangement took us equally into account. And although the meanness ofenvy was held by them to be not only sinful, but contemptible, they werequite alive to the keen sense of justice which is born with mostchildren, and would never violate it by the exercise of a partiality toocommon amongst those who have the charge of the young, either with theobject of giving me as their child some special pleasure, or Aleck asour visitor some special indulgence.
It was not long after the Stavemoor expedition that I was allowed to trymy horsemanship by mounting the gray. Rickson was on the alert; but hadit not been for his interposition, my equestrian pursuits would havecome to a very disastrous ending. I was convinced against my will of thewisdom of my father's decision, that I should for the present be contentwith my pony; relying, for consolation, on his promise that, before verylong, I should learn to manage the more spirited animal. In the meantimeI no longer felt it a trouble that my cousin's superior skill in thisrespect should be recognized.
Aleck seemed to care less about the riding than I did. His passion forthe sea--for boats, sea-weeds, stones, caves, and cliffs, everythingdirectly and indirectly belonging to the sea--grew and strengthened uponhim. His special ambition was to succeed in constructing a rival to the"Fair Alice;" but although honourable scars on his fingers bore witnessto the industry with which he plied his tools, his attempts atship-building had hitherto proved signal failures. I was more successfulin my carpentry than he was, and it was quite a pleasure to me to givehim all the help I could. Between us we at last produced something moreresembling a ship than all former attempts, and we rushed eagerly downto the Cove one bright September afternoon, impatient for the launch.
Aleck and I had the Cove all to ourselves: old George had not been withus so much as usual for weeks past; there were, indeed, few days we didnot see him, but he did not stay with us all through our play-time; hewould come and go, and come and go, until we boys would take to teasinghim with questions as to what it could be that kept him so muchoccupied. I had my own private suspicions, and communicated them toAleck; but old George would throw no light upon the subject.
I had good reason for remembering that the 20th of September, nowdrawing near, was my parents' wedding-day, my mother's birth-day, andalmost the greatest festival in the year to us at Braycombe. Old George,who lay in wait for opportunities of giving me presents, always lookedupon this anniversary as one that would admit of no questioning, andmore than once the offering to me--by which he meant to show his love tomy 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 dimsuspicions--built upon a certain hasty glance into a little room calledthe work-shop at the back of the lodge--that something else was even nowin course of construction, which I half suspected to be a schooner-yachtwith two masts, such as I had more than once expressed a wish topossess. But George was impenetrable, and kept the work-shop closelybolted, so I had to nurse my curiosity until the 20th. It was the daybefore 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 rolland lurch, it turned over upon its side, and floated like a wreck, in ahelpless and melancholy manner. We drew it up on shore again and set towork; I cheerily and hopefully, feeling perfectly aware that everythingthat 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 helpthinking 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 withus 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 byhimself over the manifold difficulties of ship-building. To bring oldGeorge to the rescue, however, did not turn out the easy task that I hadanticipated. He was in the work-shop, the door safely bolted, and noteven the smallest aperture anywhere, through which I might discover thenature of his employment. My persuasions were all carried on at adisadvantage, and the conversation resolved itself into:--
"Please, George, _do_ come and help us; it's very important. Aleck wantsyou 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 findthe time; I'm very busy."
From my side:--"But Aleck's boat won't sail, and we've tried everythingto 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 wedon'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 clearlyaudible on the other side. I continued:--"It's very well to laugh, butif you could see Aleck's boat all lying on one side, looking not so niceeven as the tub-boat in the 'Swiss Family Robinson,' you wouldn't thinkit so easily made all right."
No answer; but click, click inside.
"At least, do tell me what you're working at," I said, growingimpatient, and battering at the door; "do tell me--there's a dear oldGeorge."
"Work that can't be hindered by playing with two young gentlemen all theafternoon. 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 besiegedgarrison within a secure fortress; there was no chance of enticing himout beyond the shelter of his walls. So I could only return discomfitedto the Cove.
"There's no use trying," I said to Aleck. "All that old George willpromise 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, dolefullysurveying our workmanship. "I've been trying to trim it with a stonestuck securely on and tarred over; but look, even that has come offagain, and it will do nothing but turn over in that wretched way. If Ihad been trying to construct a wreck now, I'm sure I couldn't have madeanything more like."
"And that's something, after all," I said, encouragingly. "It's notevery one that could have made a wreck."
But my cousin took little comfort from the suggestion; he stood lookingand pondering, until, at last, after some minutes' pause, he drew a longbreath and exclaimed, as if from depths of internal conviction, "I'lltell you what; I must pull it all to pieces, and put it together quiteafresh--from the beginning."
"A strong-minded decision, and spoken out most heroically, Mr.Shipbuilder!" said a voice from behind, and we started at finding myfather had come upon us so quietly that we had not perceived him. "Youtwo 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 fathermerrily, inspecting the boat, and listening with interest to the variousmeasures which had already been tried and had failed. "Well," he added,"if my opinion as a consulting physician is to be taken, I shouldrecommend Groves as the best surgeon; his advice to be followed in everyparti
cular, and all operations he may suggest to be duly performed."
"We've asked him," we both exclaimed, "and he said he was too busy tocome."
"But," I added, "he promises that to-morrow he will make Aleck's boatsail 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 theman for your bad case. And now I should like to know which of you meansto stay at home to-morrow morning and learn the lessons which ought tobe prepared this afternoon, and which will not be ready unless we arebetaking ourselves home very soon? You, Willie?"
"No, papa," I said, "nor Aleck either; we mean to have a verydelightful, long, whole holiday, and to do no lessons at all, not thevery smallest little bit of one." And so saying, we picked up the boatand various other belongings, and, one on each side of my father, tookthe way of the Zig-zag up towards home.
"We haven't quite settled all we are going to do to-morrow, papa," Iproceeded; "but if we may, we want to have the boat in the morning, andsail the 'Fair Alice,' and go out to some place for madrepores; andGeorge is going to see about Aleck's boat too. And then, in theafternoon, we would play cricket with you, dear papa."
"I am much obliged to you, Willie," answered my father, playfully bowingto me, "and feel greatly honoured at your kind arrangement for myamusement. Perhaps you have planned for your mamma also; is she tofield-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 dearmamma in the morning--you always are--but you always do play with me inthe afternoon; and now that Aleck is here to play also, it will be sojolly. Please, dear papa, do say you will."
"Shall I say, like the poor people, _I'll consider of it?_" answered myfather. "But allow me to state to you both that I am at presentconsidering another thing, which is, that so long as I have you two boysclinging one at each side of me, I am reduced to the necessity ofclimbing this steep hill with a matter of twelve stone in tow, and thatat my time of life I ought rather to be looking upon you young people ascrutches 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 weinsinuated ourselves into what we thought a convenient position underhis elbows. Whereupon, suddenly bringing his weight down upon us, andcontriving a dexterous movement towards the bank, my father landed usboth on our backs amidst the grass and the ferns, and was off at such apace that we were some time in catching him up again, out of breath aswe 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.