“Will you have paint enough to finish that gunwale?”

“Guess so,” said the old man looking into his paint-pot.  “There’s more oil in the bottle.  What be them two doing now?  Winthrop’s a lawyer, ain’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he’s made a smart one, ha’n’t he? —­ ain’t he about as smart as any one they’ve got in Mannahatta?”

“I’m not a judge,” said Elizabeth, who could not quite keep her countenance.  “I dare say he is.”

“He was my favourite, always, Winthrop was, —­ the Governor, as they called him.  Well —­ I’d vote for him if he was sot up for that office —­ or any other office —­ if they’d do it while I’m above ground.  Where is he now? —­ in Mannahatta?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s t’other one —­ the oldest —­ Rufus —­ where’s he?”

“I don’t know where he is.  How soon will this do to be put in the water, Mr. Underhill?”

“Well —­ I guess it’ll want somethin’ of a dryin’ fust.  You can get along without it till next week, can’t you?”

“Next week! and this is Tuesday! —­”

“Yes —­ will you want it afore that?  It hadn’t ought to be put in the water one day afore Monday —­ if you want it to look handsome —­ or to wear worth speakin’ of.”

Miss Haye was silent, and the old man’s brush made long sweeps back and forward over the shining gunwale.

“You see,” Mr. Underhill went on, “it’ll be all of night afore I get the bottom of this here done. —­ What’s Rufus doin’? is he got to be a minister yet?”

“No.”

“Another lawyer?”

“No.”

“What is he then?”

“I don’t know —­ I believe he was an engineer.”

“An engineer?” said the old man standing up and looking at her.  “Do you mean he’s one o’ them fellers that sees to the ingines on the boats? —­ that ain’t much gettin’ up in the world.  I see one o’ them once —­ I went to Mannahatta in the boat, just to see what ‘twas —­ is Rufus one o’ them smutty fellers standing over the fires there?”

“Not at all; it’s a very different business, and as respectable as that of a clergyman or lawyer.”

“There ain’t anything more respectable than what his father was,” said Mr. Underhill.  “But Rufus was too handsome —­ he wanted to wear shiny boots always.”

Elizabeth walked off.

So it was not till the early part of October that the little boat was painted and dried and in the water; and very nice she looked.  Painted in the old colours; Elizabeth had been particular about that.  Rose in the meantime had been heard from.  She was coming, very soon, only staying for something, it wasn’t very clearly made out what, that would however let her go in a few days.  Elizabeth threw the letter down, with the mental conclusion that it was “just like Rose;” and resolved that her arms should be in a good state of training before the ‘few days’ were over.

“Who’s goin’ in this little concern?” said Mr. Underhill as he pushed it into the water.  “Looks kind o’ handsome, don’t it?”