uld; but he could not possibly
see the least sign of a star.

* * * * *

However, the sun shone bright, and it cast a strong shadow from the
stakes which they had driven into the ground. Jonas soon went away to
his work, and left Rollo to mark the hours by means of the clock.

So Rollo had to go into the house very often to see what time it was;
and at last his father, who was sitting there at his writing, asked him
what made him want to see the clock so much. Rollo told him the reason.
So his father put down his pen, and came out to see the dial.

When he saw the two stakes, with their lower ends driven into the
ground, and the upper ends nailed firmly together, he looked at them
with a smile, but did not say any thing.

"Will that do?" said Rollo, looking up very eagerly into his father's
face.

His father did not answer, but continued to examine the work on all
sides, with a countenance expressive of curiosity and pleasure.

"It points to the North Star, exactly," added Rollo. "Jonas _sighted_
it."

"Yes," said his father; "I think that will do; you have got quite a
respectable _gnomon_."

"Gnomon?" said Rollo.

"Yes," said his father; "we call such a thing a gnomon. In common dials,
they are made of brass; but I don't see why this won't do very well. It
is rather a _large_ gnomon."

"Is it?" said Rollo.

"Yes," said his father, "I think it is the biggest gnomon I ever saw.

"But how are you going to mark the hour lines, Rollo?" asked his father.

"Why, we are going to drive little stakes down into the ground."

"'Seems to me that you can contrive some better plan than that," said
his father.

"Why?" said Rollo. "Is not that a good plan?"

"Not very good," he replied; "because you cannot be exact in driving
down stakes. The beauty of a dial is its exactness. I should think that
you would do better to put a board down upon the ground, and mark your
lines upon that."

"O, the board would get knocked about," said Rollo.

"I dare say that Jonas would contrive some way to keep it steady."

"But he says he can't do any thing more about the dial to-day, for he
must attend to his work."

"Let me see--he is putting the harnesses in order, I believe."

"Yes, sir," said Rollo.

"Well, you may tell him that after he has done the harness that he is at
work upon now, he may finish his dial."

Then Rollo's father went into the house, and away went Rollo in pursuit
of Jo