"That’s what I’ve come for," said Dick. "Well, now, think o’ that!" "Didn’t I tell ’ee so, gaffer?" remarked one of the men. "True, you did, and a clever seein’ eye you have got, Ben." "And _I_ said ’a was not a common poor man," said another. "That’s what _I_ said, bean’t it, Ben?" "Iss, fay, they was yer very words." "Well, sir," said the foreman, "seein’ that these clever fellers have seed so far into ye, maybe you’ll tell what’s your hidden purpose in lookin’ at we." "I’m learning how to build a boat," replied Dick. "Good now! You never thought o’ that, Ben, clever as ye be, I warrant ’ee. Well, sonny—sir, I mean—I’ve been nigh fifty year larnin’ to build a boat, and I bean’t done larnin’ yet." "That’s bad news, because I want to build one in a week or two." "Well, I won’t say but you can make some sort of a tub in the time, but ’twill be a wambly figure o’ fun, and be very useful for givin’ ye a sea-bath. Ha! ha!" "There’s no harm in trying, though," said Dick, good-humouredly. "Perhaps if you’d let me try my hand I might pick up a notion or two." "I don’t mind if I do. Just set they thwarts in the splines; that’s a little small job, and we’ll see how ’ee do set about it." Dick stripped off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to perform the task given him, the foreman watching him critically the while. "Not so bad," he said when the job was finished. "I won’t say but Maister will cuss when he do see it, but ’tis not so bad for a young feller; what do ’ee say, my sonnies?" The men left their work and inspected Dick’s, twisting their necks, pressing their lips together, and showing other marks of solemn consideration. They pronounced the work pretty good, and declared they wouldn’t have believed it. The foreman gave Dick other little jobs to do, and being more pleased with the lad’s handiness than he had admitted, he took pains to instruct him. Dick learnt about ribs and splines; how to steam the ribs and give the necessary "flare"; the difficulty of getting the planking to "fly" to a true curve without "shramming"; and many other technical details which dashed his hope of being able to build a boat in a week. "Don’t ’ee go and set up for a boat-builder, though," said the foreman pleasantly. "Maister will werrit if he do think the bread ’ll be took out of his mouth." "No fear of that," replied Dick laughing. "I only want to build a boat for myself, to replace an old one I lost." "Well, I will say ’tis a right good notion to build one yerself instead o’ buyin’ one, though ’twouldn’t do for we if everybody was so handy."