t the jewels and letting them drip through her
fingers."

"Jewels can't drip," observed Mary in a matter-of-fact way.

"Well, they look as if they could," returned Polly. "The diamonds are
like drops of water, the pearls like milk and the rubies like blood."

"I know where you found that," said Molly; "in the fairy tale we were
reading the other day."

Polly admitted the fact and the ship being now ready to launch, they
proceeded to the shore where Polly pointed out the island. This was a
large rock, nearly covered at high tide, but now showing quite a
surface above the water. Its rugged sides held caves quite large
enough for persons of such size as the Roseberry family, and they were
presently hidden behind their barnacled barriers. In a little pool the
Hips family were set afloat while the Applebys contented themselves
with gathering stores of supposed precious stones from the little beach.

The Hips family had hardly set sail before Polly invoked a storm and
stirred to monster waves the waters in their pool, so they were in
great danger. "Oh, dear, the youngest Hips is floating away and I
can't save him," cried Mary.

"Never mind, let him go; there are plenty more of them," returned Polly
heartlessly banging her stick up and down in the water so the ship
would rock more violently. "They've got to be wrecked, you know," she
added. "I'll drive them on that rock, then you can grab them before
they sink and get them on the raft."

Mary managed to rescue all but one more of the family, and these were
set adrift on a piece of birch bark to which Polly tied a string that
they might not go beyond return. She also allowed the storm to cease,
but this was because the gang of wreckers had to haul up the ship and
gather in their plunder. She kept up so lively an account of their
doings that Molly left the Applebys to their own devices and Mary drew
the Hipses to shore that she might listen to Polly's blood-curdling
account of Bold Ben and the rest. Polly did not have to draw
altogether from her imagination, for her brothers had been too often
her playmates for her not to be ready with tales of plunder and
adventure.

Time passed very quickly and the children became so absorbed in the
manoeuvres of the gang that they did not notice the stealthy rise of
the tide till Mary exclaimed, "Oh, the Hipses have floated off and they
were quite high on the beach!"

Polly looked around her. "No wonder," she said; "the