Bosom Friends

boat is the

bout in on r

of the breez

ld bird on th

the life

en turn head over heels, much to the envy of the Wrights, who made valiant efforts to emulate these wonderful feats, and nearly drowned themselves in the attempt. The two little Barringtons were solemnly bathed each day by their mother in a specially-constructed roofless tent, which was fixed upon four poles over a hole previously dug in the sand, and filled by the advancing tide. Here they w

m try to swim, and they just have to sit in a puddle inside the tent, while she flings cans of sea-water down their backs. Edna says the hot sun makes the skin peel off her, and she ca

have rather a bad time. It must be very hard to be brought

a word to mademoiselle, but she says the Wrights simply talk cat-French-it's half of it English words-although they're so conceited about it, and generally say something out very loud if they think anybody is passing, even if it's only Il fait beau aujourd'hui, or Comment vous por

wim. ("He never will dry himself properly," said Mrs. Rokeby; "he just gets into his clothes as he is, and he's si

a rock, with his head on his rolled-up jacket; "too hot to race roun

too lazy to walk. Unless you mean to

holarship yet, thank goodness! I'm just going to k

ng to see them packing all the herrings into barrels, and flinging the mackerel about. Some of the

l's waist, stood among the group of children; "it's rather fun down b

ill go too.-Mam'zelle, voulez-vous al

ghtly, as if Aggie's Fren

ère enfant, cette 'feesh

t seeing the Rokebys come up, she made a desperate effort to sustain her c

English "poison," and mademoiselle held up h

ou sall nevaire take me zere! Madame Wright,

e for a moment out of his dictionary. "Aggie only meant poi

ol we only learn to write exercises about pens and ink and paper, and the gardener's son, and lending your knife to the uncle of the bak

ness to herself. "We haven't time, either-we must do our translation before

an't grieve," retorted Charlie

The herring-fleet had just come in, and it was quite a wonderful sight to watch the fish, with their shining iridescent colours, leaping by hundreds inside the holds. They were flung out upon the jetty, and packed at once into barrels, an operation which seemed to demand much noise and shouting on the part of the fis

gait, went strolling jauntily up and down the harbour, inspecting the cargoes, trying the strength of the cables, peeping int

ttage doors all over the town, and smell them too, I should say. When they're quite hard they hammer them out flat, a

y were frying some for dinner. The woman gave me a taste, but it was perfectly horrid

; "I wonder you could touch it, to begin with! Why, here are the women coming w

e; "her basket looks almo

lin's f

rls are

ed a maiden na

led a wh

reets wide

es and mussels

you are! I've an eye for an 'i

ddy; "colleen, indade, and me turned sixty only the other da

whole pile with a crash to the ground, greatly to the wrath of the owner, who expressed his vie

on ring here in the sea wall, and tied to it by a short cable was the jolliest pleasure boat imaginable, newly painted in white and b

the painter, and pulling the boat up to the steps. "

let us?" as

ht; we shan't do any harm. They can turn us out if

esist, and the three little girls hopped briskly into the boat, Belle and I

the boat danced upon the green water, pulling at its painter as

lie, handling the sculls lovingly, and looking out towards the mout

w, Charlie?" cried Belle; "

echoed Hilda; "it

ail?" asked Isobel, rather ag

harbour, and be back before any one missed

a boatman!" rem

chting by his father, and having picked up a number of nautical terms, which he generally used wrongly,

go without asking. It's not our boat, and the man she b

rls are dreadful land-lubbers. Hilda's keen enough;

ttling the dispute as Alexander of old untied the Gordian knot, she took

may as well enjoy ourselves.-Hilda, you must steer while I row. If you wat

Nearly all Anglo-Saxons have a love for the water: perhaps some spirit of the old vikings still lingers in our blood, and thrills afresh at the splash of the waves, the dash of the salt spray, and the fleck of the foam on our faces. There is a feeling of freedom, a sense of air, and space, and dancing light, and soft, subdued sound that blend

ove, and were floating along as much a part of the waves as the great trails of bladder-wrack, or the lumps of soft spongy foam that whirled by them. Charlie rested on his sculls and let the boat take her

he dredger, and we're very nearly at the buoy. We don't want to sail quite to America, though it'

idn't notice we'd come so far. We must brin

it goes the other way," said Hilda, whose first experience it was with the tille

capsize us? Turn her to starboard; she's on the

ilda, utterly bewildered by

rop these lines. I'd better ship the oars and hoist the sail, and then I can take the tiller myself. There's

u know how?" ask

lared Charlie. "I'll soon have the canvas up. I say, look

t up in a very peculiar fashion, and beginning to fil

k out. The wind's on our beam," repl

ail was flapping about in such a wild and unsteady man

Hilda, that was a near shave!" as the unmanageable canvas, swelling out suddenl

of terror and clung

ake us back. I don't like

le, jumping up in her seat and wringing

own that sail and try the sculls again. If you'll let me steer perhaps I could manage better than Hilda, and we coul

There ought to be several, really, for this job; it takes more than

usly into the stern, and settling her wit

n't stay alone at this end of the boat.

us over if you jump about like that. We can't all be

yish arms were powerless against the strength of the eb

s; "I can't get her out of this current. We shall just

float on for days and days without anything to eat, or be shipwrecked on a des

ncing uneasily, however, at the long waves ahead. They were

oaned Belle. "It's your fault, Charli

en it was you who first thought of it, and asked me to tak

w the blame on me

there's such a t

our faults for getting in, to begin with. Couldn't we somehow raise a signal of distress? Suppo

ed himself well out of the scrape. "You've a head on

oar, and as their improvised flag fluttered in the wind they hope

ilda, who clung to her very closely, watching the water with a white, frightened face, though she was too plucky to cry. Belle, who had completely lo

f," said Isobel after a time, when the land seeme

e started from round the corner. Our only chance now is meeting some b

r, and we'll call 'Help!' as loud as we can. Sound ca

lungs. "Boat ahoy!" And Hilda and Isobel joining in, they

rd, as the ship tacked round, and bearing d

e, Jim. Take the little 'un on first. Mind that lad! He'll be overboard!-Whisht, honey! don't take on so. You'll soon be safe back with your ma.-Now, missy, give me

ushy eyebrows, and the good-natured conversational voice o

somethin' sent me out this mornin' over and above callin' at Ferndale for a load of coals, which would 'a done to-morrow just as well. It's th

me to be in such a perilous situation. Their plight had been noticed at last from the harbour, where the owner of the boat, missing his craft, had raised a hue-and-cry, and there was quite a little

to his disgust. "And it's ould Biddy Mulligan as saw the peril ye was in, and asked St. Pathrick and

nt reception, and fingering a piece of rope-end as if he were much tempted to put his threat into execution. "Don't you

ey from him; and Mr. Binks said bairns would be bairns, and it was a mercy we hadn't gone to the bottom; and the man shook hands with Charlie, and said he was a plucky little chap, with a good notion of handling a sail, and he'd take him out some time and show him how to do it properly. And Mr. Binks said I'd never been to see him yet, and I told him you'd sprained your ankle a

ratitude to-day. Perhaps in the meantime we can think of some pretty little present to take with us that would please h

e and a big 'B' on the other for Binks. I'm sure they'd like that. May I go and buy the materials this afternoon? I broug