Dory had taken a fancy the year before to change the Goldwing from a schooner into a sloop; and though he was satisfied that the alteration had not been for the better, she still remained a one-masted boat, because he had not had time to change her to her original condition. The principal had objected to restoring her at present, because he wanted a sloop as well as a schooner for purposes of instruction. The Goldwing carried a large mainsail, and spread even more canvas than when she was a schooner; but she did not sail a particle faster, as Dory had expected she would. Thad Glovering was to take the place of Dory in the Goldwing during his absence. He was a good boatman, though he rather lacked in dignity when placed in the position of an instructor. The instruction in sailing had not been regularly begun, though each of the young teachers in this art had been out in the boats with his class. The pupils assigned the Lily and the Goldwing were those who had entered the school at the beginning of the current school-year. The senior class had, nearly all of them, all who had any taste for it, picked up a knowledge of the art. Some of the new ones had a little skill at it; though all of them needed instruction, and especially practice. The class in the Goldwing consisted of six besides the instructor. The boats had been brought up to the wharf, and Luke Bennington was the first to get under way. He gave the order to do so. "All ready to get under way," said he. "I beg your pardon, Captain Glovering"-- "Don't you do it!" interposed the skipper of the Goldwing, with a very undignified laugh, while there was something like a blush on his brown face. "I don't want to be captained just because I happen to be here for once to show you fellows how to handle a boat. Call me plain Thad, as you always do, if you please; and I will guess all the conundrums you sling at me, if I can." "I stand corrected, Thad," added Ash Burton, who had begun to ask the question. "You spoke about getting under way. Will you please to tell me how you spell that word?" "Spell the word 'get under way'? I don't believe I know that word," laughed the skipper. "Excuse me, Mr. Skipper: I meant only the last word in the expression, though I did not say so." "Well, Mr. Ordinary Seaman, or Mr. Green Hand, I always spell it w-a-y; and I confess I don't know any other w-a-y to spell it." "I do; and I want to know which is the right way, Thad." "What's the other way, Ash?" "W-e-i-g-h." "That's another word." "The two words are pronounced just alike; and I wish to know which is the right word to use when you mean to start, go ahead, progress, get along, go forward, advance"-- "Hold on! You needn't go through the dictionary, for I know what you mean, Ash." "It don't make any difference how you spell the word when you simply speak, for the pronunciation is the same; but I have read in books and newspapers about vessels being 'under weigh.'"