“Oh, she’s the chap that went out hunting with her maidens,” said David confidently. “She is. Look out, there’s a jelly-fish. All right, it’s floating by. I say, the water’s as warm as—as—I don’t know.” “I think you’re babbling,” said David. “Go on about Atalanta. Did she have good sport?” Maddox laughed, forgetting that he was balanced in a briny sea, and swallowed a large quantity of it. “What’s the row?” asked David. “What did I say?” Maddox ejected as much of the water as was accessible. “Oh, you are such a kid,” he said, “and I keep forgetting it.” David kicked himself into a perpendicular position and trod water. “Well, I’m getting older as quick as I can,” he said in self-defence. “Blast! I wish it could go on for ever.” “What?” “As if you didn’t know! Being in the sea, and being with you, and being alive, and so on.” “Same here,” said Frank. “Lord, but I wish I could _be_ the sea as well.” “Rather jam. But I don’t think I’d allow everybody to bathe in me,” said David. “Dogs, yes, and some people, not all. Or should we charge a shilling, and let anybody?” Maddox pushed himself upright in the water. “’Fraid we ought to come out,” he said. “It must be latish. I’ll race you to shore.” “Right oh. Give me twenty yards start.” “Measure them very carefully,” said Frank. “Well, twenty strokes then,” said the wily David, shoving from Frank’s shoulder to get a movement on, and then, taking very long, slow strokes, letting his impetus exhaust itself. “Now,” he said. Both boys swam with the overhand side-stroke, breathing whenever their heads happened to be above water, and ploughed landwards with waves of bubble and broken water behind them. Frank overtook the other in the last thrilling ten yards, won by the length of an arm and a head, and panting, but still cool, they lay for a little in the shallow water, and then reluctantly went up over the beach to where their clothes lay. There the hot sun soon rendered superfluous the towels Frank had been at pains to fetch, and presently after they laboured up the sandy path to the house, slack and hungry and content, with the half of the wonderful day still in front of them. Once on the upward ascent David paused, his mind going back to the magic of words. “O-o-oh,” he said again rapturously. “‘Blossom by blossom the spring begins.’ I shall read some more of that after lunch.”