ly, to the captain, "she's a
real ship, is n't she? It seems only the other day father gave the
order for her, and now--and now--is n't she a beauty!" The girl was
proud of the firm, and talked as though she were the controlling
partner.

"Oh, she's no so bad," the skipper replied cautiously. "But I'm sayin'
that it takes more than christenin' to mak' a ship. In the nature o'
things, Miss Frazier, if ye follow me, she's just irons and rivets and
plates put into the form of a ship. She has to find herself yet."

"I thought father said she was exceptionally well found."

"So she is," said the skipper, with a laugh. "But it's this way wi'
ships, Miss Frazier. She's all here, but the parrts of her have not
learned to work together yet. They've had no chance."

"The engines are working beautifully. I can hear them."

"Yes, indeed. But there's more than engines to a ship. Every inch of
her, ye'll understand, has to be livened up and made to work wi' its
neighbour--sweetenin' her, we call it, technically."

"And how will you do it?" the girl asked.

"We can no more than drive and steer her, and so forth; but if we have
rough weather this trip--it's likely--she'll learn the rest by heart!
For a ship, ye'll obsairve, Miss Frazier, is in no sense a reegid body
closed at both ends. She's a highly complex structure o' various an'
conflictin' strains, wi' tissues that must give an' tak' accordin' to
her personal modulus of elasteecity." Mr. Buchanan, the chief
engineer, was coming toward them. "I'm sayin' to Miss Frazier, here,
that our little _Dimbula_ has to be sweetened yet, and nothin' but a
gale will do it. How's all wi' your engines, Buck?"

"Well enough--true by plumb an' rule, o' course; but there's no
spontaneeity yet." He turned to the girl. "Take my word, Miss Frazier,
and maybe ye'll comprehend later; even after a pretty girl's
christened a ship it does not follow that there's such a thing as a
ship under the men that work her."

"I was sayin' the very same, Mr. Buchanan," the skipper interrupted.

"That's more metaphysical than I can follow," said Miss Frazier,
laughing.

"Why so? Ye're good Scotch, an'--I knew your mother's father, he was
fra' Dumfries--ye've a vested right in metapheesics, Miss Frazier,
just as ye have in the _Dimbula_," the engineer said.

"Eh, well, we must go down to the deep watters, an' earn Miss Frazier
her deevidends. Will you not come to my cabin for tea?" said the
skipper. "We'