us to the shore. We
were quite close to land. Then they went back and brought our boat to
us. They were jolly kind chaps--didn't seem to mind any trouble."

"You don't seem to have minded it, either," said Norah.

"We were too busy laughing," Wally said. "You have to expect these
things when you go in for a life on the ocean wave. The worst part of it
came afterwards, when we went home. That was really unpleasant. I was
staying at my aunt's in Toorak."

"Did you get into a row?"

"It was unpleasant," Wally repeated. "Aunts haven't much sympathy, you
know. They don't like mess, and I was no end messy. We won't talk about
it, I think, thank you." Wally rolled over on his back, produced an
apple and bit into it solemnly.

"Let us respect his silence," said Jim.

"You had aunts too?" queried Wally, with his mouth full.

"Not exactly aunts," Jim said. "But we had an old Tartar of a
housekeeper once, when we were small kids. She ruled us with a rod of
iron for about six months, and Norah and I could hardly call our souls
our own. Father used to be a good deal away and Mrs. Lister could do
pretty well as she liked."

"I did abominate that woman," said Norah reflectively.

"I don't wonder," replied Jim. "You certainly were a downtrodden little
nipper as ever was. D'you remember the time we went canoeing in the
flood on your old p'rambulator?"

"Not likely to forget it."

"What was it?" Wally asked. "Tell us, Jim."

"Norah had a pram--like most kids," Jim began.

"Well, I like that," said Norah, in great indignation. "It was yours
first!"

"Never said it wasn't," said Jim somewhat abashed by the laughter that
ensued. "But that was ages ago. It was yours at this time, anyhow. But
only the lower storey was left--just the floor of the pram on three
wheels. Norah used to sit on this thing and push herself along with two
sticks, like rowing on dry land."

"It was no end of fun," said Norah. "You _could_ go!"

"You could," grinned Jim. "I'll never forget the day I saw you start
from the top of the hill near the house. The pram got a rate on of a
mile a minute, and the sticks weren't needed. About half-way down it
struck a root, and turned three double somersaults in the air. I don't
know how many Norah turned--but when Dad and I got to the spot she was
sitting on a thick mat of grass, laughing like one o'clock, and the pram
was about half a mile away on the flat with its wheels in the air! We
quite reckoned you we