stone to keep them safe. Oh! that'll
be splendid, mother. Do give me a cup, and we'll get some water for
them."

Mother found a cup, and the children scrambled down to the edge of the
lake. There lay the lilies with their stalks in the water, close to the
boat.

"They look rather sad, mother, don't they?" said Milly, gathering them
up. "Perhaps they don't like being taken away from their home."

"They never look so beautiful out of the water," said mother; "but when
we get home we'll put them into a soup-plate, and let them swim about in
it. They'll look very nice then. Now, Olly, fill the cup with water, and
we'll put five or six of the biggest in, and gather some leaves."

"There, look! look! Aunt Emma," shouted Milly, when they had put the
lilies and some fern leaves in the middle of the table. "Haven't we made
it beautiful?"

"That you have," said Aunt Emma, coming up with the kettle which had
just boiled. "Now for the tea, and then we're ready."

"We never had such a nice tea as this before," said Olly, presently
looking up from a piece of bread and butter which had kept him quiet for
some time. "It's nicer than having dinner at the railway station even."

Aunt Emma and mother laughed; for it doesn't seem so delightful to
grown-up people to have dinner at the railway station.

"Well, Olly," said mother, "I hope we shall often have tea out of doors
while we are at Ravensnest."

Milly shook her head. "It'll rain, mother. That old gentleman said it
would be sure to rain."

"That old gentleman is about right, Milly," said Mr. Norton. "I think it
rains dreadfully here, but mother doesn't seem to mind it a bit. Once
upon a time when mother was a little girl, there came a funny old fairy
and threw some golden dust in her eyes, and ever since then she can't
see straight when she comes to the mountains. It's all right everywhere
else, but as soon as she comes here, the dust begins to fly about in her
eyes, and makes the mountains look quite different to her from what they
look to anybody else."

"Let me look, mother," said Olly, pulling her down to him.

Mrs. Norton opened her eyes at him, smiling.

"I can't see any dust, father."

"Ah, that's because it's fairy dust," said Mr. Norton, gravely. "Now,
Olly, don't you eat too much cake, else you won't be able to row."

"It'll be my turn first, father," said Milly, "you know I haven't rowed
at all yet."

"Well, don't you catch any crabs, Milly," said Aunt