they dressed her in some of Emily's good clothes, and they were glad
to see that she looked nice in them. She went to church in the morning
with her aunt; Philip and Emily were with the Sunday-schools. In the
evening Mr. Rowles was able to go to church, having engaged a young
man to look after the lock for a couple of hours.

Philip thought himself capable of managing locks and boats and punts
and everything else. When they came back from church that evening he,
with the two girls, got into the old boat from which Juliet had
dropped the poor yellow jug.

"Give us a row, Phil," said Emily.

"All right, here goes'" he replied, and he untied the boat from the
post to which she was fastened, and took up the sculls and off they
went.

It was a lovely summer evening. Mr. and Mrs. Rowles stood on the bank
of their island and watched the young voyagers. Philip was quite used
to boating and they had no fears. He hardly needed to pull at all, the
stream took them down so quickly. Juliet's ill-humour gave way when
all around was so delightful. She saw the clear, rippling water, and
the deep green shade under the trees, and the withies waving their
tops, and forget-me-nots lying in blue patches under the bank; and
larks were trilling overhead, and wagtails dabbling on the shelving
gravel tow-path.

"Oh!" she said sighing, "it is beautiful!"

They were now coming up the stream again, and keeping out of the
current under the bank of an island. There were some swans lying among
the withies and rushes.

"What are those great white birds?" asked Juliet.

"Don't you know swans when you see them?" was Philip's retort.

"No; I don't know almost nothing."

"Well, then, I can tell you that a blow from a swan's wing will break
a man's leg, and a peck from a swan's bill would knock out both your
eyes. Hie! Swish!"

And Philip pulled the boat as close as he could to the swans, who
instantly grew very angry, and stretched out their long necks, hissing
loudly, and flapped their great wings on the water.

Emily gave a shriek, and threw herself to the further side of the
boat, in terror lest the swans should strike her or peck at her. Her
sudden movement sent the boat deep into the water on her side, and
Juliet thought they would be upset. But she was not so frightened as
to lose her wits. She did not like the swans, but the danger of being
drowned was greater than that of being pecked; and to keep the boat
steady she leaned over