Juliet was not much the wiser; she had heard of mermaids, and thought at first that the folks on the river must be of that race of beings. But she waited to see. Then Mrs. Rowles said that Juliet must make herself useful, and might begin by fetching some water from the well. Juliet did not know what a well might be; but she took up a jug and went out to the riverside. There was a boat pulled up to the bank on the side of the island away from the towing-path, and as all she thought about was the fact that she was to bring water, she climbed into the boat, over the thwarts, and up to the stern. As she crept along she saw in the shadowed water at the side of the boat a vast number of little fish playing together, and, like any other child, she wanted to catch some of them. She dipped the jug down among them, as she supposed, but alas! instead of winning the minnows she lost the jug! The handle grew slippery when wet, and away it went out of her hand, falling with a crash on a big stone, and lying in fragments on the gravel beneath the water. Juliet was in consternation. "I say, what a scolding I shall get! Even mother used to scold a little sometimes when I smashed so much crockery. And Aunt Emma--and that dreadful cross Uncle Rowles--!" The child gasped for breath, but returned indoors where her aunt was putting away the remains of the breakfast. "Why, Juliet, child, you look scared. Have you fetched the water?" "No, aunt; 'cause I've broke the jug." "Broke the jug! What jug?" "The jug I took to get the water in. As soon as ever I put it in the river it just slipped away and went into pieces." "Dear, dear! Which jug was it?" "It was a yellow one with blue flowers on it." "Oh, that one!" and Mrs. Rowles's face cleared. "If it was only that old one with the broken spout and the cracked handle I really don't care a bit." "I am always so unlucky with crockery," said Juliet. "I've broke enough in my time to pave Cheapside--jugs and cups and basins." "Oh, child!" said her aunt, shocked at the exaggeration. "That's what the people in our house used to say every time I broke anything. I'm always unlucky." "Well, never mind; this time you've been very clever. That yellow jug was horrid ugly, and being shabby at the spout and the handle, I often wished it would get itself broken instead of the pretty new ones. I'm quite glad you've broken it; I think you were very clever to break that one." So said the kind aunt, hoping to soothe Juliet's sorrow for her awkwardness and carelessness. This sort of praise was quite new to the child. To be praised instead of reproved for her stupidity, to be met with smiles rather than sighs, was something so uncommon that Juliet almost believed that she really had done a clever and useful deed. After a few minutes she quite believed it, and held up her head, taking credit for her breakage which was so clever and so amusing.