and she has toppled over every time I sent her in."

"Has it?--that's very tiresome! Would if do to put a little weight in it,
to keep it down?"

"How often must I tell you to call a ship 'her;' and there you will go on
saying--it--it!"

After this correction of his sister, Master Edward did not like the
condescension of acknowledging her suggestion to be a good one; so he went
silently to the house in search of the requisite ballast; but not being
able to find anything suitable, he came back to his turfy hillock, littered
round with chips of wood, and tried to insert some pebbles into his vessel;
but they stuck fast, and he was obliged to ask again.

"Supposing it was a good thing to weight her, what could I put in?"

Maggie thought a moment.

"Would shot do?" asked she.

"It would be the very thing; but where can I get any?"

"There is some that was left of papa's. It is in the right-hand corner of
the second drawer of the bureau, wrapped up in a newspaper."

"What a plague! I can't remember your 'seconds,' and 'right-hands,' and
fiddle-faddles." He worked on at his pebbles. They would hot do.

"I think if you were good-natured, Maggie, you might go for me."