The hull rested in the cradle which had been erected for it, and the tops of the timbers were secured in their places by cross-stays. So far, little or nothing had been said about the interior of the hull, for the reason that the frame and planking had absorbed all the attention of the workmen. The next step was to put in the deck-beams, and secure the shelves on which they were to rest. "Now, boys, we must decide upon the plan for the inside of the schooner," said the principal, when he had called the students together in the building-shed. "What accommodations shall we provide on board?" "A cabin and a standing-room," replied Life Windham. "Like the Goldwing," suggested Matt Randolph. "The Goldwing contains a cabin, cook-room and standing-room. We can have all these on a larger scale in the Lily; and there will be space in the run for a store-room and ice-house, with a door into it from the cabin." "Behind the steps at the companion-way," added Matt. "There is no other way to reach it unless you put a scuttle in the floor of the standing-room, which is liable to leak," replied the principal. "The steps can be hung on hinges and turn up, but I think it is better to slip them back out of the way. How long will you have the cabin?" "How much clear space have we inboard?" asked Luke Bennington. "About thirty feet, after allowing for the bend of the bows and the rake of the stern," answered the principal. "Cabin fourteen feet, I should say," continued Luke. "That will leave eight feet besides the overhang for the standing-room, and the same for the cook-room." "That was my calculation," replied Captain Gildrock. "Then we want a trunk fourteen feet long, which may be about nine feet wide on the main deck. This will make a very roomy apartment for a lake craft. On each side of it we must build up transoms, or divans, for seats or berths. As we have no centreboard in the middle of it, there will be nothing in our way." "Why didn't we build a centreboard boat?" asked Matt Randolph. "I think a keel boat is safer and stiffer. In Lake Champlain we have plenty of water, though we shall draw about five feet aft. There are shoal places, but there isn't the least need of running over them." "In a centreboard boat, if you get aground, there is a chance for you to work off when you cannot in a keel," said Matt. "That is very true; but I think the stiffness of the keel craft more than compensates for the advantage of light draft in these waters." The principal then made a drawing to illustrate the method of putting in the beams and the knees that were to support them. As only a portion of the beams could extend entirely across the boat, on account of the elevation of the trunk, it required careful work and planning to secure the necessary strength. But this problem had been solved by the instructors, and the descriptions of the timbers were obtained.