The Story of the White-Rock Cove Part 6

SHIP-BUILDING.

My story would grow too long were I to tell of all the employments, amus.e.m.e.nts, 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 amus.e.m.e.nts; 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 pa.s.sion 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 sh.o.r.e 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 antic.i.p.ated. 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 amus.e.m.e.nt. 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 a.s.sist 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 gra.s.s 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.

CHAPTER VI.

THE SCHOONER-YACHT.

There are some unfortunate children who seem fated to have their holidays and special occasions drowned in rain. I, on the contrary, belonged to the favoured cla.s.s, accustomed always to expect, and almost always to enjoy, sunshine bright and glorious, whensoever birth-days, high days, and whole holidays made me specially prize and value it.

So it was by no means with surprise that I opened my eyes the next morning to find the sun's golden rays streaming in at my window, and to observe, on jumping up and looking out, that there was not a cloud to be seen, save, indeed, the shadowy gray morning mist that was fast dispersing over the sea. I pattered hastily into Aleck's room before proceeding to the business of the toilet, to awaken him, and to urge upon him the desirability of getting up as soon as possible, and coming down with me into the garden to gather a nosegay for my mother, an inst.i.tution of three years' standing, and which I would not upon any account have dispensed with. Aleck murmured such a very sleepy a.s.sent to my views, that I was constrained to resort to extreme measures, lest he should "go off" again, and accordingly took to the gentle persuasion of water sprinkled on his face, the counterpane delicately withdrawn from his bed, and similar little attentions, which I felt to have been completely successful, when a pillow, wielded with the vigour of self-defence, gave notice that hostilities were about to be returned, and I withdrew to my own room.