rope.

"Why, bless the boy! where are we?"

Mansy was wide awake now. In his efforts to reach the tin he had
shaken the tub a good deal and aroused her.

"Oh, Mansy, I hoped you would have slept till I got you up to the
house!" he said.

"Me asleep in a washin' tub! think of that! Well, I was that dead
tired I could have slep' anywheres, I do believe. But however did you
get here, Master Alfy?"

"Worked along by the hedge, Mansy."

"You are a brave, clever boy, Alfy! And I do believe there's Miss
Edith at the window with a light."

"Are you there?" cried a bright, fresh, girlish voice.

"At the laburnum tree," answered Alfy.

"Oh! Do be quick," answered Edie. "We are so hungry. All the bread
and butter and things that were left are spoiled by the water. And we
have nothing to eat!"

"And we have not much," said Mansy; "the sitiwation is really getting
serious!"

CHAPTER III.

THE YOUNG NAVIGATOR.

"The first thing is to get up to the house," said Alfy. "I shall have
to jump into the water and wade, after all, Mansy."

"I couldn't permit it, Master Alfy, indeed I couldn't!" replied his
nurse decidedly.

Alfy knew that when Mansy used that word "permit," her mind was very
much made up indeed. It was one of her rare words, used only on great
occasions and when much emphasis was intended.

"Well, how are we to get to the house?" he said. "Let us consider.
Oh, I know!" he exclaimed in a few moments. "Good idea! a jolly dodge!"

"Can you get my bow and arrows, Edie?" he shouted, "and my kite string?"

"What for?"

"To shoot the string to us," he replied. "Unwind it, and tie one end
to the arrow just above the feathers, and see if you can't shoot it to
us."

"Don't hit us!" screamed Mansy.

Then the girls with the candle-light disappeared from the window, and
the boy and the old nurse were left in the tub to await events.

"What a long time the girls are!" he exclaimed presently. "I expect
they cannot find the things." The girls were not really so long as
appeared to the wearied watchers in the moonlight; but at length Edie
and her sister, with Jane, the servant-maid, showed themselves again at
the window.

"Ah! they've got the bow and arrows," said Mansy.

"Look out," cried Madge, "I don't want to hurt you." And Alfy and
Mansy covered their faces and screwed themselves down in the tub as
well as they could, the irrepressible Alfy laughing meanwhile, and
saying he did no