They hurried through the simple breakfast that mother had left for them, and then Judith shouldered the joyous child and tramped away over the half-mile that separated them from the old black dory. "Now, Judy, now le's begin right off an' pretend! Go ahead--you pretending?" "I'm pretending. I'm a chariot and you're a fine lady in pink ging--" "Ging--!" scorned Blossom. "Silk, Judy--in pink silk, a-ridin' in the chariot. It's a very nice, _easy_ chariot an' doesn't joggle her hip--Oh, I forgot she hasn't got any hips, of course! Well, here she goes a-riding and a-riding along, just as comfortable, but pretty soon she says--we're coming to the beautiful part now, Judy!--'I guess I better get out an' walk now,' she says. Now pretend she _got out and walked, Judy_--you pretending?" "I'm pretending," cried Judy, her clasp on the little figure tightening and her eyes shining mysteriously. Sometime the little fine lady should get out and walk! She should--she should! "Now she's walking--no, she isn't, either, she's riding, and it isn't in a chariot, it's in her sister's arms, an' she's _Blossom_. Don't le's pretend any more, Judy. There's days it's easy to an' there's days it's hard to--it's a hard-to day, I guess, to-day. Those days you can't pretend get out and walk very well." "Pretend I'm an elephant!" laughed Judy, though the laugh trembled in her throat. "That's an easy-to-pretend! And you're an--Oh, an Arab, driving me! You must talk _Arabese_, Blossom!" Blossom was gay again when they got to the dory, and Judith dropped her into the bow, out of her own weary arms. "Now say 'Heave-ho!--heave-ho'!" commanded Judith, "to help me drag her down, you know. Here we go!" "I don't know the Arabese for 'heave-ho,'" laughed little Blossom, mischievously. "I could say it in American." "Say it in 'American,' then, you little rogue!" panted Judith, all her tough little muscles a-stretch for the haul. They were presently out on the water, rocking gently with the gentle waves. And Blossom was presently shouting with delight. Her little lean, sharp face was keen with excitement. "Now pretend--now, now, now! It's easy to out here! The fine lady's going abroad, Judy--do you hear? She's going right straight over 'cross this sea, in this han'some ship! When she gets there she'll _step out_ on the shore an' say what a beautiful voyage she's had, an' good-by to the cap'n--you're the cap'n, Judy. An' you'll say, 'Oh, my lady, sha'n't I help you ashore?' An' she'll laugh right out, it's so ridic'lous! 'Help me, my good man!' she'll 'xclaim. 'I guess you must think I can't walk!'" Blossom's face was alive with the joy of the beautiful "pretend." But Judith's face was sober. "Laugh, why don't you, Judy?" cried the child. "I'm laugh--I mean I will, dear. But I've got to row like everything now, so you must do the pretending for us both. We've got to get out there to those traps before you can say 'scat'!" "Scat!" shrilled Blossom.