ying what you may find in these
parts if you look long enough. This is a very strange country. But now,
Milly, look out for the lilies. Father's going to take us in among them,
and I'll hold you, while you gather them."

And presently, swish went the boat up against the rushes, and there were
the lovely white lilies lying spread out on the water all round them,
some quite open and showing their golden middles, and some still buds,
with their wet green cases just falling off, and their white petals
beginning to unclose. But what slippery stalks they had. Aunt Emma held
Milly, and father held Olly, while they dived their hands under the
water and pulled hard. And some of the lilies came out with such short
bits of stalk you could scarcely hold them, and sometimes, flop! out
came a long green stalk, like a long green snake curling and twisting
about in the boat. The children dabbled, and splashed, and pulled, to
their hearts' content, till at last Mr. Norton told them they had got
enough and now they must sit quite still while he rowed them in to the
land.

"Oh, father, just those two over there!" pleaded Milly, who could not
bear leaving so many beauties behind.

"No, Milly, no more. Look where the sun is now. If we don't make haste
and have our tea, we shall never get back to Ravensnest to-night."

Milly's face looked as if it would like to cry, as the boat began to
move away from the rushes, and the beautiful lilies were left behind. I
told you, to begin with, that Milly was ready to cry oftener than a
sensible little girl should. But Aunt Emma was not going to have any
crying at her picnic.

"Who's going to gather me sticks to make my fire?" she said suddenly, in
a solemn voice.

"I am! I am!" shouted both the children at once, and out came Milly's
smiles again, like the sun from behind a cloud.

"And who's going to lay the table-cloth?"

"We are! we are!"

"And who's going to hand the bread and butter?"

"I am!" exclaimed Milly, "and Olly shall hand the cake."

"And who's going to _eat_ the bread and butter?"

"All of us!" shouted the children, and Milly added, "Father will want a
_big_ plate of bread and butter, I daresay."

"I should think he would, after all this rowing," said Mr. Norton. "Now
then, look out for a bump!"

[Illustration: "So they put Olly up on a tall piece of rock, and he
sang."]

Bump! Splash! there was the boat scraping along the pebbles near the
shore; out sprang Mr. Norton,