‘Don’t talk about “pale,”’ I cried. ‘Oh, please! I’m getting so shaky about my knees; Such rickety-rockety boats as these Should never put out to sea.’ For the storm grew worse-- As storms will do-- And rocked our shell-ship Fro and to, Fro and to, And to and fro, The way that shell-ships Rock, you know. Then the Nautilus into A rage she flew! ‘My beautiful ship Of shell,’ cried she, ‘Is far too good For a Cameloo!’ And she pushed me Into the sea. But I reached here just the same!” beamed Miss Smiler. “Yes, but how?” asked Coppertop, who was so interested by this story that she almost forgot the horrid Samurai. “Before I answer any more questions,” interrupted Miss Smiler, in a hushed voice, “I’d like to know who that piece of old china is, standing there on guard, like a figure on a teapot?” “Hush!” cried Coppertop. “Oh, I’ve been terrifikly worried about him.” “I don’t wonder,” interrupted the Camel, whose manners were not too good. “I should think he’s worried about himself, with such a face!” “Oh, I don’t mind his face so much,” whispered back Coppertop; “he’s a Samurai of Old Japan, and they all have faces like that!” “Poor things!” exclaimed the Camel. “If we were used to their faces, we should think them quite handsome,” exclaimed the child. “I expect they think we’re ugly, too. It’s all a matter of taste.” “Taste!” cried Smiler. “We don’t have to taste them, do we? It’s painful enough to look at them.” “Do be quiet!” warned Coppertop. “If he hears you he’ll chop your head off! That’s what he’s waiting to do with mine, I expect.” “Don’t you let him take such a liberty,” cried Miss Smiler. “Once you lose your head you don’t know where you are. And it’ll be extremely hard to put it on again.” “Oh, I’ve had such arguments with the horrid old thing! I’ve told him all that. If only Tibbs and Kiddiwee were here to drive him away,” she added, tearfully. “They’re not so very far away,” replied Miss Smiler, peeping round the edge of the Lantern. “In fact--HERE THEY ARE!” she exclaimed. And, lo and behold, floating along over the river toward the Lantern, came the beautiful soap bubble, with Tibbs and Kiddiwee inside. “Oh, where? Where?” cried Coppertop, excitedly, for she could see nothing from her side of the Lantern, and she dared not venture out because of the Samurai, who looked most anxious to prove how sharp his sword was. “I can’t see without a head,” she added. “Otherwise I believe I’d risk it.” Just then the soap bubble was seen by the Samurai, who evidently wondered where it had come from, and looked a trifle uneasy. While he was looking, it suddenly exploded, and out shot Tibbs and Kiddiwee. As soon as they were released from the bubble they grew rapidly to their usual size. Head or no head, Coppertop could resist it no longer, but flew down from the old stone Lantern, and flung herself into their arms.