in tow. Mr.
Leicester left Betty suddenly and went to the wharf's edge.

"Did you have any trouble bringing her up?" he asked.

"Bless ye, no, sir," said the packet's skipper; "didn't hinder us one
grain; had a clever little breeze right astern all the way up."

"Look here, Betty," said papa, returning presently. "I went down this
morning to hunt for a dory with a sail, and I saw this cat-boat which
somebody was willing to let, and I have hired it for a while. I wish to
look up the river shell-fish a bit; it's not altogether play, I mean you
to understand."

"Oh, _papa_!" cried Betty joyfully. "The only thing we needed was a nice
boat. But you can't have clutters in pots and pans at Aunt Barbara's,
can you, and your works going on? Serena won't like it, and she can be
quite terrible, you know!"

"Come on board and look at her," said Mr. Leicester, regardless of the
terrors of Serena's disapproval. The cat-boat carried a jib beside a
good-sized mainsail, and had a comfortable little cabin with a tiny
stove and two berths and plenty of lockers. Two young men had just spent
their vacation in her, coasting eastward, and one of them told Mr.
Leicester that she was the quickest and steadiest boat he ever saw,
sailing close to the wind and answering her rudder capitally. They had
lived on board altogether and made themselves very comfortable indeed.
There was a light little flat-bottomed boat for tender, and the white
cat-boat itself had been newly painted with gilt lettering across the
stern, _Starlight, Riverport_.

"I can ask the Out-of-Door Club one day next week," announced Betty,
with great enthusiasm. "Isn't she clean and pretty? _Won't_ Aunt Barbara
like her, papa?"

"I must look about for some one to help me to sail her," said Mr.
Leicester, with uncommon gravity. "What do you think of young Foster? He
must know the river well, and his fishing may be falling off a little
now. It would be a good way to help him, don't you think so?"

Betty's eyes shone with joy. "Oh, yes," she said; "they do have such a
hard time now. Nelly told me so yesterday morning. It has cost them so
much lately. Harry has been trying to get something to do in Riverport."

They were busy anchoring the Starlight out in the stream, and now Mr.
Leicester helped Betty over the side into the tender and sculled her
ashore. Some of the men on the wharf had disappeared, but others were
still there, and there was a great bustle of unloading some