er.

Then Sophia Jane watched her opportunity, cast the rope over it just at
the right instant, caught it in the noose, and drew it safely on to the
rock.

"Now it's mine!" she cried exultingly, holding up her dripping prize,
"and I shall take the enemy home in it."

What an unpleasant little girl Sophia Jane was! Susan felt at that
moment that she almost hated her; she was selfish, and mean, and cruel
and unkind, and deserved all the scoldings she had from everyone. She
could not bear to be near her just now; she would go as far from her as
she possibly could. Leaving her, therefore, crouched on the rock near
her prey, Susan turned her back upon her and started off by herself in
another direction, and in doing this she also turned her back upon the
pier. She was so injured in her mind, however, and so occupied with
hard thoughts about Sophia Jane, that she could not notice this or
anything else for some time. On she went, jumping from rock to rock
with Grace tucked under one arm, pausing now and then to look at some
strange and beautiful thing which lay in her path; how she wished for
her basket, that she might pick some of them up! But at least she could
take a few in her pocket, though it was inconveniently small. Soon it
was heavy with damp stones, sea-weed, and shells, then she lifted the
skirt of her frock in front and filled that, and all this while she was
going further from Sophia Jane, further from the pier, further from the
little cove, where they had promised to wait for Buskin. She never once
looked back, however, for there were always lovely things still further
in the distance that she must get. When she was close to these lovely
things they sometimes turned out to be quite common and not worth
picking up; but there was sure to be something more tempting just a
little way beyond. So she went on and on, and would have gone much
further but her progress was suddenly checked in a very disagreeable
manner; for, springing too heedlessly on to a slippery rock, and
overbalanced by her burden, she fell straightway into a large shallow
pool of water. It was such a sudden shock that all her treasures were
scattered far and wide, and poor Grace was thrown out of her arms to
some distance where she lay flat on her face. Confused and startled,
Susan's first thought was that she should be drowned, and she cried out
for help; but, having winked the water out of her eyes, she at once saw
that it was quite