ffs which they had
appropriated to their own use, and were prepared to hold against all
comers. The Rokebys, who were enthusiastic bathers, had a tent upon the
shore, and spent nearly half the morning in the sea, where they could
float, swim on their backs, tread water, and even turn head over heels,
much to the envy of the Wrights, who made valiant efforts to emulate
these wonderful feats, and nearly drowned themselves in the attempt. The
two little Barringtons were solemnly bathed each day by their mother in
a specially-constructed roofless tent, which was fixed upon four poles
over a hole previously dug in the sand, and filled by the advancing
tide. Here they were obliged to sit for ten minutes in the water, with
the sun pouring down upon them till the small tent resembled a vapour
bath, after which they were massaged according to the treatment
recommended by a certain Heidelberg doctor in whom Mrs. Barrington had
great faith, and whose methods she insisted upon carrying out to the
letter, in spite of Ruth's indignant remonstrances and Edna's wails.

"Ruth says bathing's no fun at all," confided Isobel to her mother; "and
I shouldn't think it is, if you can't splash about in the sea and enjoy
yourself. Mrs. Barrington won't let them try to swim, and they just have
to sit in a puddle inside the tent, while she flings cans of sea-water
down their backs. Edna says the hot sun makes the skin peel off her, and
she can't bear the rubbing afterwards. Her clothes fridge her, too; they
always wear thick woollen under-things even in this blazing weather,
their mother's so afraid of them taking a chill."

"Poor children!" said Mrs. Stewart; "I certainly think they have rather
a bad time. It must be very hard to be brought up by rule, and to have
so many experiments tried upon you."

"Ruth says she has one comfort, though," continued Isobel: "they're
allowed to speak English all the time during the holidays. At home they
have a German governess, and they talk French one day, and German the
next, and English only on Sundays. Ruth hates languages. She won't speak
a word to mademoiselle, but she says the Wrights simply talk
cat-French--it's half of it English words--although they're so conceited
about it, and generally say something out very loud if they think
anybody is passing, even if it's only _Il fait beau aujourd'hui_, or
_Comment vous portez-vous?_ The Rokebys poke terrible fun at them;
they've made up a gibberish language