st in time; Maggie Woodhall's hat blew away over the line, and had to
be recovered by the guard; and one of the luncheon baskets fell off the
truck as the porter was wheeling it along the platform, much to Miss
Lincoln's dismay, till she discovered it was luckily not the one which
held the breakables. Each mistress was to be personally responsible for
her own class, and for the day the six prefects were given as full
powers of authority as the teachers; so Miss Lincoln hoped that with so
many people to look after them, her lively pupils might find no
opportunity of getting into mischief, or running into danger. All were
able to take their places at once in the carriages which had been
waiting for them in a siding at the station, and were shunted on to the
Chelstone train when it arrived. The porters banged the doors with their
usual vigour, the guard waved his green flag, and at last they were off
for their delightful excursion. It was less than an hour's journey to
Moorcliffe, so by half-past ten the entire school was walking in a
procession through the small village, across the cliff, and down on to
the beach. The tide unfortunately was low, so Miss Lincoln was glad to
avail herself of Miss Latimer's knowledge of the place to find the cove
where there was a convenient bathing pool. It was some little distance
along the shore, and the girls were much tempted to linger to pick up
shells or sea urchins; but the prefects urged them sternly on, assuring
them that they would find plenty more of such treasures, and that time
was passing quickly by.

"When you consider how small the tent is, and how many of us have to
take it in turns to use it, you'll understand we need the whole morning
for our bathe," said Phyllis Chambers.

They at last reached the sheltered nook among the rocks which Miss
Latimer had chosen. The sea, retreating far into the distance, had here
left a wide and fairly deep pool, through which flowed one of the many
channels that intersected the bay. It was a pleasant spot, far enough
from the village to promise retirement, and the sparkling water lapping
gently in the sunshine looked inviting. Aided by a band of willing
workers, Miss Latimer and Miss Rowe soon erected the tent; the girls
effected their changes of costume with lightning speed, and in half an
hour a passing stranger might have imagined the coast to be invaded by
an army of mermaids. Jean, who had brought her camera, took several
snapshots of