Chapter VII: A Row on the Lake

WILLIE did so wish the six weeks of their stay would not go quite so fast. Each day he had some nice pleasure, and each day the mountains seemed to grow more grand and lovely. Willie often could not help thinking of what the old gentleman on the steamer had said about the love and goodness of God, in giving such beauty to the earth for the joy of men.

Sometimes Willie used to go long rambles with his Papa up the mountains, and bring home great bunches of wild flowers to his Mamma and to Lucy. Sometimes he used to go to places nearer at hand with Nurse, and frighten poor Nurse by scrambling about in steep places where she could not follow him.

But, then, Willie had learned now to do as he was told much more quickly than he used to do. But for that Nurse would not have dared to let him climb about nearly so much. It was only because she knew he would come back the moment she thought it right to call or beckon, that she could venture to let him scramble about as much as he did.

They used sometimes to go along the broad road beside the lake for a change. It was not so nice as up the mountains, but Willie and Lucy liked to see the little lizards running about on the walls from crevice to crevice. Sometimes Willie tried to catch them, but they always wriggled away.

At other times, Nurse took them walking through the vineyards. The paths there were very narrow; so Willie used to march on in front, with Lucy after him, and the low vines on each side. It was nice to see all the bunches of grapes, growing slowly ripe for the coming autumn. The grapes were very small, and hard, and green now, but by-and-by they would be large, and full, and sweet. Then on a certain day would begin the vintage that is, all the people would set to work to pick their grapes. Some of the grapes would be eaten, but the greater number would be used for making wine.

The old woman who owned the house, where Mr. Gray had now taken lodgings, had a nice little vineyard of her own. She was a kind old woman, and said she wished Mr. and Mrs. Gray would stay on till the vintage-time, so that they might spend a day in her vineyard, and eat as many grapes as they liked. Willie thought that would indeed be nice; but he knew they had no hope of doing any such thing, for Mr. Gray could not remain away so long from home.

One day Mr. Gray took them all out for a long row on the lake. Willie had been wanting very much to go, and he was glad when it at last came to pass.

"It doesn't feel like the sea at all," he said, as the boat moved softly over the still clear water. "There were big waves there, and Lucy was afraid; but there are no waves here."

"Was no one afraid except Lucy?" asked Mr. Gray.

"Papa, I don't think I was much afraid," said Willie.

"If you were even a little, you had better have told us about that little first, and about Lucy's fear after. But there are waves here too sometimes, Willie—when there comes a storm."

"Are there storms on the lake?" asked Willie.

"Very often in the winter, and sometimes in the summer too. People have often been drowned in this lake, if they have been careless, or have not known enough about boating, for the storms are very sudden when they do come, and boats are sometimes turned over all in a moment."

"Are there going to be any storms to-day?" asked Willie, rather gravely.

"No; I think we are pretty sure to have none to-day."

"There's no seaweed in this lake," said Willie, after a little while.

"Not likely to be seaweed in a lake, Willie," said his Mamma, laughing.

"No," said Willie; "I know there can't be, Mamma. But I should like to find some great long pieces of ribbon seaweed, like what we used to find last year."

"I like the sea," said Lucy.

"So do I," said Willie. "But I like the lake too. Papa, I do wish I might row the boat."

"You row, Willie!" said Mr. Gray. "I am afraid the boat will get along very slowly."

"I am sure I could do it," said Willie—"I am quite sure I could. It looks as easy as easy can be."

"Does it?" said Mr. Gray, smiling. "I would not be too sure, Willie, if I were you."

"Oh! But it does look so very easy," said Willie. "May I not try, Papa?"

"Very well," said his Papa.

So Mr. Gray handed one oar to Willie, and took the other himself. Willie grasped his oar with both hands, and tried his best, but he found it very hard to move. And at the first pull, Willie's oar missed the water, and went up into the air instead, and Willie went backwards into the bottom of the boat.

Willie was rather startled, but he would not cry, though he had to wink very hard for a minute after they picked him up; neither would he stop trying yet. Mr. Gray told him a little about how to hold and to manage the oar. Then Willie began again to pull, and he pulled with great care for some minutes.

But at length Lucy said, "Why, Willie, we are going round and round."

"No, we're not," said Willie.

"But I am sure we are," said Lucy; "because I had my back to Montreux first, and then I had my face to it, and now I have my back to it again."

"You can't, because I am rowing all straight," said Willie.

"And Papa is rowing hardly at all," said Lucy.

"No; but still I am moving the boat just a little," said Mr. Gray, "and Willie is not moving it at all. That is why we are going round."

"It is such a great heavy oar," said Willie, with a sigh, for his face was of the colour of scarlet, and his arms were aching.

"Shall I take it again?" asked Mr. Gray.

"Please, Papa," said Willie, humbly.

He was glad to get back to his old seat and dip his hands down in the cold water, while the boat again skimmed lightly over the lake, instead of slowly turning round and round.

"Well, Willie," said Mr. Gray, smiling.

"Papa, it is not so easy as it looked," said Willie.

"There's an honest boy to say plainly that you made a mistake. I do not mind how ready you are to try to do things, Willie, even when they seem hard; only next time, you must not be quite so sure of your own power to do well without practice. Most things want practice, and this needs a little more strength also than you possess."

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