er coming!"

"You mean to say you were waiting for us?" said Allen, incredulously.
"Betty, are you telling the truth? Mrs. Irving, is she?"

"I assure you I was too busy finding my bathing suit and getting into it
to know just when the girls were ready," responded the chaperon.

At one part of the island the ground dipped gradually so that one might
have any depth of water desired, and it was to this part that the young
folks made their way.

"Remember----" said Frank, referring to the conversation of the night
before, "remember, you girls will have to prove your claims to
championship swimming this morning. If you were just faking, now is the
time we'll find you out."

"We're not faking," Mollie denied stoutly. "I learned to swim when I was
nine years old, and I've been swimming ever since."

"Really?" Roy inquired with interest. "Then you must be Mollie's ghost,
while the real Mollie is swimming around out there somewhere," waving
his hand in the direction of the water, "chumming with some of the
beautiful water nymphs. Just think, nothing to do but swim for--how many
years is it, Mollie?" he asked.

"Goose!" was all she answered, but that one little word managed somehow
to contain a world of scorn.

"You try it first, Will," begged his sister. "Then you can tell us
whether it is cold or not."

"Say, what kind of sport are you, anyway?" Will demanded. "That's the
way with girls--they all make a big bluff about being able to do what we
can, and then when it actually comes down to business they want to try
it on us first. I'd like to see one of you go in first!"

Betty made a dash for the water. "Wouldn't it be nice," she flung back
at him over her shoulder, "if all wishes could be granted so easily.
Come on, girls--we'll show them a thing or two," and she waded in till
the water was above her waist, then plunged in over her head.

Mollie followed close upon her heels and it was a moment before the boys
realized what had happened, and could rouse themselves to action.

"Come on, fellows!" Allen shouted. "We can't let two girls get the best
of us like that."

Mrs. Irving, who was at home in the water, entered and swam out boldly.

"Are you going to stay there?" Frank shouted to Amy and Grace, who stood
uncertainly on the bank, undecided whether to advance or retreat. "Come
on in--the water's fine."

Thus encouraged, the two girls threw caution to the winds, and waded in
till the warm water was up to the