les, and unless you hid yourself under a bush, someone would be sure
to find you. The members of the third class went off together, racing
over the springy grass with as much agility as the small Welsh sheep
that seemed capable of climbing the stones like goats, to judge by the
achievement of an old ewe, which ran up a loose-built wall as easily
as a kitten, and led its lamb after it.

In a hollow at the farther side of the circle the children found a
sheet of shallow water evidently formed by the February rains and
melting snow. At one end was a rough raft and a long pole, with which
some boy had no doubt been amusing himself. The temptation was too
great to be resisted. In three seconds Connie, Brenda, and Sylvia were
making a trial trip, the last two squatting close together in the
middle to balance the raft, while Connie pushed off with the pole, and
punted them out into the middle of the pond. It was a most delightful
sensation. The water was clear, and they could see down several feet
where there were green weeds growing at the bottom, and great floating
masses of some jellylike substance, that Connie declared was frog
spawn.

"I'm going to get a lump of it," she cried, "and take it back to
school and put it in a basin; then we can watch the tadpoles hatch out
and grow into little frogs. I'll run the raft against this island.
There seems to be a heap of it here."

Though the trio nearly upset their craft in their efforts, they found
it very difficult to get hold of any of the spawn; it was as
transparent and slimy as the white of an egg, and kept slipping
through their fingers as fast as they touched it. Connie managed at
last to secure a small piece by holding her handkerchief under it in
the water; then she tied the four corners tightly together, and put
the wet messy bundle into her pocket.

"Ugh! How can you!" exclaimed Sylvia. "Suppose they hatch on the way?"

"That's not very likely," replied Connie; "but I don't mind if they
do. I'm fond of tadpoles."

The other girls, who had been clamouring for some time from the bank,
demanding a turn at the raft, now grew so indignant at the delay that
Connie punted back and tried to pacify their wrath.

"It's not fair to keep it all the time!" said Marian. "Some of us want
to try it just as much as you. And you don't know how to work that
pole properly. If you give it to me I'll soon show you!"

"All right, Miss Clever!" said Brenda. "You always do things bett