and shouts of, "My
goodness, isn't the water cold!" "Can you swim this way?" "How far can
you go, anyway?"

Jimmie and the guide were swimming around near the shore when suddenly,
two hundred feet ahead of them, they saw Peter disappear in what they
supposed was shallow water. Jack was half-way the distance between the
guide and Peter. It did not take him an instant to realize what had
happened. But before he could get to the place where Peter had gone
down, the lad had come up, struggled, and gone down again. As he came
up once more Jack caught him by his curly hair, turned over on his back,
holding Peter's head high out of the water, and swam calmly for the
shallow place. Once there, the old man took Peter in his arms and
hurried to shore, where they rolled him until they had the water out of
him. Not a word was said, and modest, quiet Jack did not seem to think
that he had been brave.

When Peter opened his eyes he said, "Guess my pores weren't in the right
place."

VIII

THE RAINY DAY

It was a rainy day. Poor Betty flattened her little nose against the
window-panes of Turtle Lodge a dozen times. But outside all she could
see were just the long, straight lines of the down-coming rain and an
empty road leading downhill to the edge of the pond; all she could hear
was the drum of the water upon the roof. Inside, Jimmie was developing
films in his laboratory, and was not in the least interested in what
Betty might be doing.

"Oh, mother," called Betty, "I am so tired; there isn't anything to do!"

"Why don't you sew on a dress for Belinda?" asked Mrs. Reece.

"Belinda has too many clothes; she has more than I have, mother, and
she's a naughty dolly to-day."

"Well, let me see--get Lizzie to let you make cake."

"Lizzie's cross, and I'm afraid to. I wish the guide were here. He's
never cross, and never too busy to tell you something that's
interesting." Betty looked out of the window. "He's coming now! Goody!
Goody!"

When old Ben Gile reached the steps there was a little girl dancing
inside the door and still shouting "Goody!"

"What's this?"

"You'll tell me a story, won't you?"

"Tell you a story! Dear, dear, I never knew such a little greedy for
stories. I've brought you something."

Betty's face was shining now. She had forgotten the rain, the dreary
day, cross Lizzie, and everything. Ben Gile took a box out of his
pocket. "What is it?" she asked.

"I have a box full of little elves f