and Walter studied and examined the Rover! They had taken down its sails and its rigging and its masts over and over again. They knew every inch of its planks, every nail and screw about its framework. And how often they had spoken about the delight of launching it in “real live water,” in the wide blue sea perhaps! That would be something worth living for.
Harry and Walter were in the same class at Dr. Grierson’s Academy in Rosehampton, and very good scholars both were. One or other was pretty sure to be at the top most days, and if Walter was first, Harry would be not far off, and vice versâ.
One day, however, the rest of the boys were very much amused at some strange mistakes made by these duxes. Harry having been told to mention some chief towns in Asia Minor, rashly began with “Kingshaven,” and then corrected himself, blushing
and looking very much ashamed, while Dr. Grierson himself had some difficulty in subduing the bursts of laughter all down the forms.
Then Walter, who had been called upon to stand up and give some account of the appearance and structure of a steam-engine, astonished everybody by saying it had “two masts!”
That day the inseparable friends were very much lower down in the class than they were accustomed to be, and it required no little effort on their part during the succeeding days to prevent their thoughts from wandering, and to keep them fixed on the more dry and uninteresting subjects of their lesson.
The younger Leslies were also much excited about going to the sea-side; but visions of shell-gathering, digging in the sands, and such mild pursuits, were quite
enough for them; and, indeed, they knew so little about the sea that they had no materials whereof to form any more brilliant plans. As to bathing, they were rather frightened about that, considering that it must be something like going into the green nursery tub, but with very cold water to wash in!
Walter had been at Margate once with his father, and could describe the sea to Harry in very lively terms. The sands, the bathing-coaches, the rocks, the billows—nothing was forgotten in Walter’s narratives. But, alas! the little town of Rosehampton, where they lived, was very far away from any part of this enchanting ocean, and for long there seemed no chance whatever of Mrs. Leslie consenting to let her children brave the perils of a month’s residence near the sea.
“I like them to go to the country,” she