Corny sat down hard and opened her mouth.

"There!" she said; "I didn't breathe an inch!"

And then she puffed for about two minutes, while the water ran off her
into the bottom of the boat. I seized the oars to row to shore.

"How did you fall over?" said Rectus, who still shook as if he had had a
chill.

"Don't know," answered Corny. "I was leaning far over, when my hand must
have slipped, and the first thing I knew I was into it. It's good I
didn't shut my eyes. If you get into water, with your eyes shut, you
can't open them again." She still puffed a little. "Coming up was the
best. It's the first time I ever saw the bottom of a boat."

"Weren't you frightened?" I asked.

"Hadn't time at first. And when I was coming up, I saw you reaching out
for me."

[Illustration: "WE SAW HER SLOWLY RISING BENEATH US."]

"Did you think we'd get you?" said Rectus, his face flushing.

"Yes," said Corny, "but if you'd missed me that time, I'd never have
trusted you again."

The gentleman-with-a-wife-and-a-young-lady was in another boat, not very
far off, but it was nearer the upper end of the little lake, and none of
the party knew of our accident until we were pulling Corny out of the
water. Then they rowed toward us as fast as they could, but they did
not reach us until we were at the wharf. No one on shore, or on the
steam-boat, seemed to have noticed Corny's dive. Indeed, the whole thing
was done so quietly, and was so soon over, that there was not as much of
a show as the occasion demanded.

"I never before was in deep water that seemed so little like real
water," said Corny, just before we reached the wharf. "This was cold,
and that was the only thing natural about it."

"Then this is not the first time you've been in deep water?" I asked.

"No," said Corny, "not the very first time;" and she scrambled up on the
wharf, where her mother was standing, talking to some ladies.

"Why, Cornelia!" exclaimed Mrs. Chipperton, as soon as she saw the
dripping girl, "have you been in the water again?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Corny, drawing her shoulders up to her ears, "and I
must be rubbed down and have dry clothes as quick as lightning."

And with this, she and her mother hurried on board the steam-boat.

Rectus and I went back on the lake, for we had not gone half over it
when Corny went into it. We had rowed about for half an hour or so, and
were just coming in, when Corny appeared on the deck of the steam-boat,
wit