when mrs. cliff and willy, as well wrapped up in handsome furs as mr. burke himself, who accompanied them, left their new york hotel to drive over to brooklyn and examine the yacht which had been selected, willy's mind vainly endeavored to form within itself an image of the object of the expedition.

she was so thoroughly an inland woman and had so little knowledge of matters connected with the sea, that when she first heard the mention of the yacht it had brought into her mind the idea of an asiatic animal, with long hair and used as a beast of burden, which she had read about in her school-books. but when she had discovered that the object in question was a vessel and not a bovine ruminant, her mind carried her no farther than to a pleasure boat with a sail to it.

even mrs. cliff, who had travelled, had inadequate ideas concerning a steam yacht. she had seen the small steamers which ran upon the seine, and she had taken little trips upon them; and if she had given the subject careful consideration she might have thought that the yacht intended for the use of a private individual would be somewhat smaller than one of these.

it would be difficult, therefore, to imagine the surprise and even amazement of mrs. cliff and willy croup when they beheld the vessel to which mr. burke conducted them. it was in fact a sea-going steamer of small com[pg 163]parative size, it is true, but of towering proportions when compared with the ideals in the minds of the two female citizens of plainton who had come, the one to view it and the other to buy it.

"before we go on board," said mr. burke, as he proudly stood upon the pier, holding fast to his silk hat in the cold breeze which swept along the water front, "i want you to take a general look at her! i don't suppose you know anything about her lines and build, but i can tell you they're all right! but you can see for yourselves that she's likely to be a fine, solid, comfortable craft, and won't go pitchin' and tossin' around like the crafts that some people go to sea in!"

"why, the name is on it!" cried willy. "summer shelter! how did you happen to find one with that name, mr. burke?"

"oh, i didn't!" said he. "she had another name, but i wanted you to see her just as she'd look if she really belonged to you,—so i had the other name painted out and this put on in good big white letters that can be seen for a long distance. if you don't buy her, mrs. cliff, of course i'll have the old name put back again. now what do you think of her, mrs. cliff, lookin' at her from this point of view?"

the good lady stood silent. she gazed at the long high hull of the steamer, she looked up at the black smokestack, and at the masts which ran up so shapely and so far, and her soul rose higher than it had been uplifted even by the visions of the future grove of the incas.[pg 164]

"i think it is absolutely splendid!" said she. "let us go in!"

"on board, madam," said burke, gently correcting her. "this way to the gang-plank!"

for nearly two hours mrs. cliff and willy wandered over the upper and lower decks of the yacht; examined its pretty little state-rooms; sat excitedly upon the sofas of its handsomely decorated saloon; examined the folding tables and all the other wonderful things which shut themselves up out of the way when they were not needed; tapped the keys of the piano; investigated the storerooms, lockers, and all the marine domestic conveniences, and forgot it was winter, forgot that the keen wind nearly blew their bonnets off as they walked the upper deck, and felt what a grand thing it would be to sail upon the sea upon such a noble vessel.

to all this there was added in mrs. cliff's mind the proud feeling that it would be her own, and in it she could go wherever she pleased and come back again when it suited her.

willy, who had never been to sea, was perfectly free to form an idea of an ocean voyage as delightful and charming as she pleased, and this she did with great enthusiasm. even had it been necessary that this perfectly lovely vessel should remain moored at the pier, it would have given joy to her soul to live in it, to sleep in one of those sweet little rooms, and to eat, and read, and sew in that beautiful saloon.

"mr. burke," said mrs. cliff, "i don't believe you[pg 165] could find any vessel better suited to our purpose than this one, and i wish you would buy it!"

"madam," said burke, "i'll do it immediately! and i tell you, madam, that this is a wonderful chance for this time of the year when yachts and pleasure crafts in this part of the world are generally laid up and can't be seen properly; and what's more, would have to be docked and overhauled generally before they would be ready for sea. but here is a yacht that's been cruising down south and in the west indies and has just come up here, and is all ready to go to sea again whenever you like it. if you don't mind going home by yourselves, i'll go to the office of the agent of the owner, and settle the business at once!"

it would have been impossible for any purchase or any possession of palace, pyramid, or principality to make prouder the heart of mrs. cliff than did the consciousness that she was the owner of a fine sea vessel worked by steam. she acknowledged to herself that if she had been at home she could not have prevented herself from putting on those airs which she had been so anxious to avoid. but these would wear off very soon she knew, and so long as there was no one, except willy, to notice a possible change of manner, it did not matter.

now that mrs. cliff and willy were in new york they both agreed that it would be well for them to attend to some shopping for which they had intended coming to the city later in the spring. it had been found that there were many things wanted to supplement the furnishing of the new house, and to the purchase of these the two ladies now devoted their mornings.[pg 166]

but every afternoon, in company with mr. burke, they went on board the summer shelter to see what he had been doing and to consult with him about what he was going to do. it was astonishing how many little things were needed to be done to a yacht just returned from a cruise, and how interesting all these things were to mrs. cliff and willy, considering that they knew so little about them.

the engineer and fireman had not been discharged, but were acting as watchmen, and burke strongly recommended that they should be engaged immediately, because, as he said, if mrs. cliff were to let them go it would be difficult to get such men again. "it was a little expensive, to be sure, but when a yacht is not laid up," he said, "there should always be men aboard of her." and so the painting, and the cleaning, and the necessary fitting up went on, and mr. burke was very happy, and mrs. cliff was very proud, although the external manifestation of this feeling was gradually wearing off.

"i don't want to give advice, madam," said burke one evening, as the little party sat together discussing nautical matters, "but if i was in your place, i wouldn't go back to plainton before i had taken a little trial trip on the yacht. it doesn't matter a bit about the weather! after we get out to sea it will be only a few days before we find we're in real spring weather and the warm water of the gulf stream. we can touch at savannah, and cruise along the florida coast, and then go over to the bahamas, and look around as long as we feel like! and when we get back here it will be beginning to be milder,[pg 167] and then you can go home and arrange for the voyages you're goin' to make in her during the summer!"

mrs. cliff considered. this was a tempting proposition. and while she considered, willy sat and looked at her with glowing cheeks and half-open mouth. it would not have required one second for her to decide such a question.

"you know," said mr. burke, "it wouldn't take me long to get her ready for sea. i could soon coal her and put her stores aboard, and as to a crew, i can get one in no time. we could leave port in a week just as well as not!"

"let's go!" said willy, seizing the hand of her friend. "it need only be a little trip, just to see how it would all feel."

mrs. cliff smiled. "very good," said she, "we'll take a little trial trip just as soon as you are ready, captain burke! that is, if you have not made any plans which will prevent you from accepting the position."

"madam," said burke, springing to his feet and standing proudly before mrs. cliff, "i'd throw up the command of the finest liner on the atlantic to be captain of the summer shelter for this summer! i see far more fun ahead in the cruises that you're going to make than in any voyage i've looked forward to yet; and when people have a chance to mix fun and charity as we're goin' to mix them, i say such people ought to call themselves lucky! this is wednesday! well now, madam, by next wednesday the summer shelter will be all fitted out for the cruise, and she'll be ready to sail out of the[pg 168] harbor at whatever hour you name, for the tide won't make any difference to her!"

"there is only one thing i don't like about the arrangement," said mrs. cliff, when the captain had left them, "and that is, that we will have to take this trip by ourselves. it seems a pity for three people to go sailing around in a big vessel like that with most of the state-rooms empty; but, of course, people are not prepared yet for country weeks at sea! and it will take some time to make my plans known in the proper quarters."

"i don't suppose," said willy, "that there's anybody in plainton that we could send for on short notice. people there want so much time to get ready to do anything!"

"but there is nobody in the town that i would care to take on a first voyage," said mrs. cliff. "you know, something might go wrong and we would have to come back, and if it is found necessary to do that, i don't want any plainton people on board!"

"no indeed!" exclaimed willy, her mind involuntarily running towards nancy shott, to whom a voyage to the west indies would doubtless be of great service. "don't let's bother about anything of that kind! let's make the first trip by ourselves! i think that will be glorious!"