The Good Ship Rover

The Good Ship Rover is a collection short stories for children written by Robina F. Hardy,a Scottish Victorian author, poet and Christian missionary. 

A gallant ship, some three feet in length, with full equipment of white sails and sturdy masts, rigging, pennon, and figurehead; but it had never seen the sea—never!  It had “cast anchor” nearly a year before my story begins in the Leslies’ nursery—a very pleasant, airy room, with nice pictures on the wall and a good many toys scattered about, but certainly not the very least resembling the sea. 

In fact, I don’t think Mrs. Leslie would have liked if it had resembled it; for she was very much afraid of the children being near a lake or a pond p. 8even, on account of the dangers of damp feet and catching cold—two evils which always haunted her mind more or less.  She was rather a delicate creature, often ailing,—which, perhaps, was the reason of these nervous fancies; and most of the children resembled their mother in this, that there was sure to be something the matter with one or other of them most days of the week. -- Excerpts from the book.