HOME AT THE HAVEN.

 make a list of all that would be wanted of nails,
 screws, and tin tacks, zinc, ash-wood, and deal-all of
 which things Captain Osborne was to have in readiness
 to begin operations with the very next evening. So
 many hours work on half-holidays, and so many half.
 hours before breakfast and after tea, on ordinary days,
 would, they thought, complete the boat in three weeks'
 time, so that the grand day of the launch might be
 fixed for Lucy's birth-day, which was at the beginning
 of September.
 Everything went on very pleasantly and smoothly
 with the boat-building between Edward and his uncle,
 so that Lucy and her mother were quite pleased to see
 how much more careful he had become, whilst he was
 always diligent over his lessons, and punctual at school,
 which his mother was very particular about. It can-
 not be said that Edward never made excuses at this
 time, and did not sometimes misrepresent a little when
 he was in fear of being blamed, but every one thought
 he was trying to cure himself of his faults, and made
 allowance for the difficulty of breaking himself of a
 settled habit.
 Lucy was very glad to be allowed by her mother to
go occasionally up to the workshop to watch Edward
and her uncle at work upon the boat. She was sur-
prised to find that it required 'such downright hard
work, and used to wonder that they liked to make
themselves so hot and tired with their hammering and
sawing. At first it was thought that it would not be
necessary to have a rudder to their boat, considering
what short voyages it would have to perform on the
little pond, but Edward maintained that it would be
quite a pity not to make it a real boat in every respect,
so that a rudder was decided on, and Captain Osborne
thought that he knew of a man in P--, who would be