y hand and
scramble out."

Peggy, still sitting in the water, which covered her to the waist,
looked about her thoughtfully. "It seems a pity, now I _am_ here, not to
have some good of it," she said, philosophically.

"If it were only a foot deeper, or I weren't bothered with all these
petticoats, I might have a good swim. However, I suppose I may as well
get out--if I can. Take care, Snowy--oh! take care!"

Alas! for the Snowy Owl! After all, she was still Gertrude Merryweather.
The marble was wet--she bent down to take Peggy's hand--here was another
tremendous splash, and two Undines sat in the tank, gazing speechless on
each other. This was too much for the composure of any one. Both Peggy
and Gertrude sat helpless, shaking with laughter, and absolutely unable
to move. Bertha, outside, fairly went into hysterics, and laughed and
screamed in one breath; while the other girls raised such a clamour of
mingled mirth and terror that Emily Cortlandt, who had just come in to
take a look at the decorations, came running down-stairs, dreading she
knew not what.

One look over the edge of the tank, and Miss Cortlandt was not so very
much better than the rest of them; but she recovered herself sooner.
Wiping her eyes, she proceeded at once to the business of rescuing the
two involuntary divers. It proved impossible for them to climb up, the
sides being too slippery, and the flying leap being out of the question
in two feet of water. She brought a short ladder, and in another moment
first one nymph and then the other came up from their fountain, and
dripped little rivers on the floor.

"Is either of you hurt?" asked Miss Cortlandt.

"Not I!" said Gertrude, ruefully. "I fell on top of poor Peggy, and she
makes a perfect cushion. How are you, Peggy? Did I half kill you?"

"Not a bit! I think perhaps I've sprained my wrist a little, but that
was when I went in myself. No, I'm all right; truly I am, Miss
Cortlandt. I'll just go and change my clothes, and then come back and
finish."

Emily Cortlandt did not come of amphibious stock. "You will do nothing
of the kind!" she said. "You _ought_ to go to bed, Peggy, and Gertrude,
too; but I suppose you would think that a terrible piece of injustice."

"Yes, Miss Cortlandt, we should!" replied both girls, in a breath.

"And I know that you have both been brought up more or less like whales;
so I'll let you off with camphor pills and peppermint drops. Those you
_must_ have. Run a