with provisional treads rudely laid. They had not begun
to lath and plaster yet, but the clean, fresh smell of the
mortar in the walls mingling with the pungent fragrance
of the pine shavings neutralised the Venetian odour that
drew in over the water. It was pleasantly shady there,
though for the matter of that the heat of the morning had
all been washed out of the atmosphere by a tide of east
wind setting in at noon, and the thrilling, delicious cool
of a Boston summer afternoon bathed every nerve.

The foreman went about with Mrs. Lapham, showing her
where the doors were to be; but Lapham soon tired
of this, and having found a pine stick of perfect grain,
he abandoned himself to the pleasure of whittling it
in what was to be the reception-room, where he sat looking
out on the street from what was to be the bay-window. Here
he was presently joined by his girls, who, after locating
their own room on the water side above the music-room,
had no more wish to enter into details than their father.

"Come and take a seat in the bay-window, ladies,"
be called out to them, as they looked in at him through
the ribs of the wall. He jocosely made room for them
on the trestle on which he sat.

They came gingerly and vaguely forward, as young ladies
do when they wish not to seem to be going to do a thing
they have made up their minds to do. When they had
taken their places on their trestle, they could not help
laughing with scorn, open and acceptable to their father;