like goggle eyes.

Captain Jules explained that there were two lines with which the diver
communicated with the outside world. The one was the air line, and it was
used to pump air down to the man below in the water. The life line was
usually hitched around the diver's waist. This line was let out to any
depth the diver required, and by pulling on it the diver could signal to
the men who followed his course: one jerk, pull up; two, more air; three,
lower the bag. Madge was utterly fascinated with the netted bag, made of
rope, that Captain Jules showed her. He told her that the pearl-diver
always carried a bag to hold the treasures that he finds at the bottom of
the sea. To her vivid imagination, the empty bag was even now filled with
shining pearls, the rarest treasures of the sea.

The young girl persuaded Captain Jules to let her dress up in his diver's
suit, when she stumbled about the veranda in it, her gay laughter
mingling with the captain's deep chuckles of delight.

"O Captain Jules!" she pleaded, "do take me down to the bottom of the sea
with you. I have always wanted to be a mermaid, and this may be the only
chance I shall ever have. 'Only divers know of things below, of water's
green and fishes' sheen,'" she chanted gayly.

The old sea captain gazed at Madge, breathing a deep sigh of
satisfaction. "I believe you have the courage to do it if I were to let
you try," he murmured. "It comes nearer to convincing me than anything
else."

"Captain Jules," continued the girl earnestly, "please, please let's go
down to the bottom of this bay. You could take me with you and then there
wouldn't be any danger. We have been down together without diving suits
and here we are safe and sound on land again! You said you thought there
might be pearls in the oyster beds of this bay. We could look, at any
rate. I saw the most wonderful things when I was searching for Tania. It
seemed as though her dress was caught on the broken spar of an old ship,
though, of course, I couldn't be sure. Have there been many wrecks in
this bay? Do you suppose it was a ship's spar?"

"There are always wrecks on the water, child. And you mustn't be talking
nonsense about diving down in this bay along with me," answered Captain
Jules severely. He kept his eyes fastened on his diving suit with an
affectionate gleam in them. "Maybe, though, I will make a diving party of
one and go down in the bay alone. I'd give you the pearls I found down
ther