about it."

"If we don't stop you, there won't be one of us that doesn't know
ALL about it," said John, pretending to be discouraged by the
attitude of his friend. "I suppose we'll have to have it," he
added solemnly, "so the sooner we get it out of the way the
better. Tell us and have it over with."

"The Cape Cod Canal," said Grant as he looked sternly at John,
"is eight miles long, it is twenty-five feet deep and one hundred
feet wide."

"My, now I am almost ready to go back home!" said George
solemnly. "I cannot imagine finding out anything more important
than that. Have you noticed these Palisades we have been passing?
Did you ever see anything more beautiful than the river? Pretty
soon we'll come to the Highlands and to West Point and I want to
say to you right now, Soc, that I would rather know about these
things than I would to hear about a ditch that is one hundred
feet wide and twenty-five feet deep and eight miles long. What's
the good of knowing that anyway?"

"I shall try to improve your mind before we come back home," said
Grant, shaking his head.

"You don't expect to accomplish much in just a month, do you?"
interposed George.

"Not much more than to get ready to prepare to begin to start to
commence on the contract."