"Thank you, sir," replied Bolly, much gratified at the architect's approval. "Six feet from the inner ends of the docks will be a fence, with a gate opposite each platform," continued the speaker, indicating it by a dotted line. "The dressing-rooms end at this fence. Then there is a passage-way ten feet wide across the house. At the shore end of it is the principal entrance."
Bolly then divided the space on the plan north of this passage-way into four parts, and said they were the two storerooms, the sailroom, and the paint shop. Against the sides at this end of the structure he made two more additions, wider than the others. The one on the shore side was for the stairs to the hall; the other was for one of the four-oar boats; and a third was run along the water part of the north end for the other. Bolly explained these features of the plan at some length.
"The wide passageway through the building from the main entrance to the water side of the building leads to the wharf," continued the speaker, pointing to it on his drawing. "You will observe that the great doors on the water side are in the middle of the tip end of Chowder Point. The rock extends only four feet outside of it.
"The wharf is to be in the form of the letter T," Bolly proceeded, drawing this pier in the place where his plan located it. "The cross part, or top of the T, is to be sixty feet from the boat-house, and is to be reached by a wooden bridge ten feet wide, with a single span of fifty-six feet. The landing part of the wharf is a huge caisson, or box, sixty feet long by twelve feet wide, which is to be built at the shore, floated to the place where it is to be located, and sunk with rocks; and the bottom of the lake at this place is almost parallel with the surface of the water."
The students were filled with wonder by these last details.
CHAPTER XXIII. VOLLEYS OF QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED.
Bolingbroke finished his explanation without any flourish, and when he had done he stopped, which all orators are not able to do. He was about to take his seat when the volley of questions was discharged at him; and the principal was obliged to interpose so that the inquiries could be dealt with one at a time.