ever since. In one
place it was slightly damaged. There was a peculiar cut or scratch
on the metal face, and I noticed that this cut was visible in the
impression on the seals we broke just now. That could not have been
imitated, and I'm quite convinced in my own mind that the box has not
been opened."

* * * * *

By Saturday the keen edge of the disappointment had somewhat worn off,
though Elsie had hardly recovered her accustomed spirits, and still
grieved for the pony which she had quite made up her mind was to have
been a black one, with white socks, and a white star on its forehead.
Perhaps the boys felt the failure of their hopes and expectations less
than the girl, from the fact that they had something on hand just then
which occupied a considerable amount of their attention, and a good
portion of their spare time.

Brian's great hobby was ship-building, and the fact that there was a
fish-pond in the garden at the Pines enabled him to give each fresh
model a practical test as soon as it was ready to be launched. He had
constructed vessels of all descriptions--ships that sailed, and ships
that didn't; gunboats which mounted a brass cannon, and peaceful
merchant traders which carried cargoes of earth and stones across the
water from one shore to another.

Now he had upon the stocks a vessel of an altogether novel design, and
this latest addition to his miniature navy had cost him a great many
hours of work and the exercise of no small amount of patience before it
could be pronounced ready for use. It was said to be a "torpedo-boat
destroyer," and was constructed out of the hull of an old tin boat. Her
engines had once formed the motive power of a clockwork locomotive, but
they had now been adapted to marine requirements, and made to turn a
small screw.

With the determination to be up to date, Brian had resolved to have no
woodwork about this war vessel. With considerable labour he had cut
decks, funnels, and other fittings out of tin; to fix these in place it
had been necessary to acquire the art of using a soldering-iron, and
this he had done, though at the price of at least one rather bad burn
and a blistered finger.

[Illustration]

Evening after evening, when lessons were done, he had devoted his spare
time to work on his model, fixing the engines, soldering down the decks,
and putting in ballast, so as to balance the boat and keep her on an
even keel. At length the wo