it
lie flaccid on the palm of her hand and then dropped it into the sea
again.

A faint air of wind stole across from Inishbawn. The _Tortoise_, utterly
without steerage way, felt it and turned slowly towards it. It was as if
she stretched her head out for another such gentle kiss as the wind gave
her. Priscilla felt it, and with returning animation made a plunge for
an unusually large jelly fish, captured it and held it up triumphantly.

"It's a pity you're not out after jelly fish, Miss Rutherford," she
said, "instead of sponges. There are thousands and thousands of them. We
could fill the boat with them in half an hour."

Miss Rutherford made no reply. She had succeeded in wriggling herself
into such a position that her head rested on the thwart of the boat. Her
face was extremely red, and, owing perhaps to the twisted position of
her neck, she was snoring. Priscilla looked at Frank and smiled.

"I wonder," she said, "if we ought to wake her up. She won't like it,
of course, but it may be the kindest thing to do. It wouldn't be at all
nice for her if she smothered in her sleep."

Frank blinked lazily. He was very nearly asleep.

"You're a nice pair," said Priscilla. "What on earth is the point of
dropping off like that in the middle of the day? Ghastly laziness I call
it."

Another puff of wind and then another came from the west. The _Tortoise_
began to move through the water. Frank woke up and paid serious
attention to his steering. Priscilla looked round the sea and then the
sky. The thunder storm was breaking over Rosnacree, five miles to the
east, and a heavy bank of dark clouds was piled up across the sky.

"It looks uncommonly queer," said Priscilla, "rather magnificent in
some ways, but I wish I knew exactly what it's going to do. I don't
understand this breeze coming in from the west. It's freshening too."

A long deep growl reached them from the east.

"Thunder," said Frank.

"Must be," said Priscilla. "The clouds are coming up against the wind.
Only thunder does that--and liberty. At least Wordsworth says liberty
does. I never saw it myself. I told you we were doing 'The Excursion'
last term. It's in that somewhere. I say, this breeze is freshening.
Keep her just as she's going, Cousin Frank. We'll be able to let her go
in a minute. Oh, do look at the water!"

The sea had turned a deep purple colour. In spite of the ripples which
the westerly breeze raised on its surface it had a curious loo