nd seated
myself on the top, which stood out of the water, and looked at her.

She was a neat-looking little soul, with rosy cheeks, and a resolute
expression of countenance. She looked redder and firmer than usual as
she drove the broomstick through the handles of the colander, whilst the
boy was at the other side of the pond with the Water-Soldier, whose
maiden-blossom shone white among its sword-leaves.

It shone in the sunshine which came gaily through a gap in the trees,
and warmed my coat through to my wings, and made the pond look lovely.
That greedy _Ranatra_, who eats so much, and never looks a bit the more
solid for his meals, crept up a reed and sunned his wings; the
water-gnats skimmed and skated about, measuring the surface of the water
with their long legs; the "boatmen" shot up and down till one was quite
giddy, showing the white on their bodies, like swallows wheeling for
their autumn-flight. Even the water-scorpion moved slowly over a sunny
place from the roots of an arrow-head lily to a dark corner under the
duck-weed.

"Molly!" shouted the boy; "I wish you'd come and give a pull at the
Water-Soldier. I've nearly got him up; but the leaves cut my hands, and
you've got gloves. If the colander is ready, I'll begin to fish. There's
a beetle on that stick. I wish I were near enough, I could snatch him up
like anything."

"I wouldn't advise you to," said Molly. "Grandfather says that
water-beetles have got daggers in their tails. Besides, some of the
beetles are very greedy and eat the fish."

"The Big Black one doesn't," said Francis. "He said so. _Hydroeus piceus_
is the name, and I dare say that's the one. It's the biggest of all the
water-beetles and very harmless."

"He _may_ be a good one," said Molly, looking thoughtfully and
unmistakably at me, "but then he may be one of the bad ones; and if he
is, he'll eat everything before him."

But by this time Francis was dipping the colander in and out on the
opposite side, and she was left to struggle with the Water-Soldier.

"He's up at last," she announced, and the Soldier was landed on the
bank.

"Come round," said the boy; "I've filled three jars."

"I hope you've been careful, Francis. You know Grandfather says that to
stock a fresh-water aquarium is like the puzzle of the Fox and the Geese
and the bag of seed. It's no use our having things that eat each other."

"They must eat something," said the boy; "they're used to it at home;
and I w