em up in our coats,
that I did want their mother to come and comfort them."

"Oh, but, father, you took them safe home to their mother, didn't you?
And do tell me what she said."

"They had no mother, Milly, they had only their father, who was with
them. But he was very good to them, and I think on the whole they were
happy little girls. The Christmas after that I got a little parcel one
morning, and what do you think was in it? Why, two photographs of the
same little girls, looking so neat and tidy and happy, I could hardly
believe they were really the same as the little drowned rats I had
pulled out of the water. Ask mother to show you the pictures when we get
home; she has them somewhere. Now, Olly, would you like to row?"

"Oh, father, don't bump against any rocks," said Milly, whose thoughts
were very full of the little girls.

"Don't you trouble your head about rocks, old woman. I know a good deal
more about this lake than those little girls' father did, and I won't
take you into any harm. Come along, Olly."

Olly was helped along the boat by mother and Aunt Emma till his father
caught hold of him and pulled him on to his seat, where he let him put
his two small paws on one of the oars, and try what he could do with it.
Mr. Norton pulled too; but Olly thought it was all his doing, and that
it was really he who was making the boat go.

"Don't we go fast, father?" he cried out presently, his little face
flushed with pleasure and excitement. "You couldn't row so fast without
me, could you, father?"

"You little fly-on-the-wheel," said his father, smiling at him.

"What does that mean, father?"

"Never mind, you'll know when you're bigger. But now look, children, how
close we are coming to the shore. And quick, Milly, quick! What do you
see over there?"

Mr. Norton pointed over the water to a place where some green rushes
were standing up out of the water, not very far from the edge. What were
those great white and gold things shining among the rushes; and what
were those large round green leaves lying on the water all about them?

"Water-lilies! water-lilies!" cried Milly, stamping her little feet with
delight. "Oh, mother, look! it was on one of those leaves that the old
toad put little Tiny in my fairy-book, don't you remember? Only the
little fishes came and bit off the stalk and set her free. Oh, I wish we
could see little Tiny sitting on one of those leaves!"

"Well," said Aunt Emma, "there's no sa