r
his little nephew, had often told him stories about the sea which he
treasured in his heart all the more, perhaps, because he was so often
mured up by his nursery walls, or even in his little iron bed, on account
of colds, coughs, measles, chicken-pox, etc.

Walter Hammond, unlike his friend, was a strong, bright, merry little
fellow, never a day in the house or away from school; but he was very
fond of Harry all the same. Walter had only two sisters and then a baby-
brother, all of whom were rather young for him to play with, so he spent
a great deal of his leisure time in the Leslies' nursery. What scores of
times had Harry 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 versa_.

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 tha