"And who said you were not to bathe?" asked Harriet. "It will do you good, I think, for you look so hot and dusty." "Yes, I believe it would do me a lot of good," said Robina, and as she spoke she took off her hat and twisting up her thick hair, knotted it firmly at the back of her head. The girls then packed their bathing things, and Robina, Harriet and the others prepared to get into the water. Little Ralph, looking prettier than he had ever done before, in a little tight-fitting brown bathing suit, skipped about on the edge of the waves. "Oh! won't it be jolly!" he cried; "won't it be jolly in the water! Come, Harriet." On his lips the words were almost bubbling, "You can swim splendid," but he kept them back. "Let me hold your hand, Ralph," said Robina. "We mustn't go far because your father is not with us, and your father wouldn't like it." "Nonsense!" said Harriet, who was standing up to her knees in the water, which was quite warm, and as still as possible. "Those who are cowards," she said, "need not come on; but from the little I know of Mr Durrant, I should say that of all things in the world, he would wish Ralph to prove himself a brave boy. Come along with me, Ralph; hold my hand; poor silly Robina can't swim, you know." "Can't you, Robina? Oh, I forgot," said Ralph. He looked pityingly at her. "I can swim quite a little bit," he said. "Father taught me; only I can't keep up very long, but leastways I can float. Can't you even float, Robina? You has to turn on your back--so." As Ralph spoke, he suited the action to the words, lying perfectly still on his back, his head slightly lower than his chest. Harriet laughed; put her hand under the said little head, and forced him on to his feet again. "Why, you are a splendid boy," she said. "You and I will see together what we can do. The water is quite warm. Now, Ralph, you know the stroke. Come along; I will help you. All of you who can swim, come with me, won't you. I thought before I got into the water that the current might be a little strong, but I see I am mistaken. We can easily go as far as the entrance to the cove. What fun it will be to look at the outside world from the edge of the cove." Harriet began to swim out boldly, and Ralph for a time kept pace with her, laughing as he did so. Suddenly, a girl cried out: "Don't go any further, Harriet; there's a fisherman beckoning to us. Turn back, Harriet; turn back!" Harriet turned quickly. She saw a man on the cliff gesticulating and waving his hand. She looked at Ralph. Ralph was still swimming close to her. The other girls had not even gone out of their depths. Robina, however, with her face white as death, was struggling into deep water. "No, no!" cried Harriet. "Turn back, turn back, Robina! It's all right--it really is. Don't come any further, you'll be drowned if you do!" "Ralph, Ralph, Ralph!" pleaded Robina. "Come back to me, come back!" The little boy looked at her and smiled.