"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."