t each end of the house there was a cockpit some three feet long. In
other words the house did not extend the full length of the boat. At the
rear there was a long-handed tiller. The boat was flat as a floor.

"If the inside is as handsome as the outside, we shall have the
nightmare all the time," declared Margery.

"We had better look at the inside," reflected Miss Elting.

There were doors at each end. The girls entered by the rear door.

"Mercy!" exclaimed the guardian. "How warm it is in here. Mr. Dickinson,
is there any glass in those windows?"

Dickinson shook his head.

"Then please knock out the boards."

Harriet already was doing this. She succeeded in ripping off a few
planks, letting in the fresh air and sunlight. What they saw then did
not please them. The floor was covered with rubbish. There was food
scattered about, the walls were greasy. At one side stood an old stove,
red with rust, its pipe dented in, and the ashes heaped high on the
floor where the last occupant had left them.

Harriet stepped over by the stove to get a different perspective of the
interior of the old craft. She rested one hand on the stove, but
withdrew it quickly. She seemed about to say something, then abruptly
checked her speech.

"Girls," said Miss Elting, "I don't know whether we shall be able to do
anything with this boat or not. What do you think?"

"Of course we shall," answered Harriet promptly. "A good scrubbing and a
little fixing up will make a delightful summer home of it."

"This is my treat, you know," interjected Jane. "That is, you know Miss
Elting was to furnish the boat and I was to do all the rest."

"Oh, no! We couldn't permit you to do that," answered the guardian.

"A bargain's a bargain," declared Jane. "I'll get the paint. You folks,
in the meantime, look the place over and see what else you need. I'll go
back to the village for the things you decide on when we get ready for
them."

"What color shall we paint the boat?" questioned Miss Elting.

"Red, of course," cried Harriet. "Surely, you wouldn't paint a 'Red
Rover' green, would you?"

"I think we had better paint the inside of the boat white," advised Miss
Elting.

"Then white it shall be," declared Jane. "Mr. Dickinson, you come with
me and show me where to get the paint. I'm off, girls. I think we'd
better stay at the hotel to-night. Our palatial yacht won't be ready for
us."

Jane hurried out, followed by Dickinson. He was eager to