“Aren’t there any water-fairies in this lake, mother?” whispered Milly, presently, looking down into the clear blue water, and trying to see the bottom.

“I can’t tell, Milly, I never saw any.  But there used to be water-fairies in old days.  After tea suppose we ask Aunt Emma to tell us a story about a king in olden times whom the water-fairies loved; she used to tell it to me when I was small, and I liked it best of all stories.  But, Olly, you must sit still, or the boat will go tipping over to one side, and father won’t be able to row.”

“Do let me row, father,” begged Olly.

“Not yet, old man—­I must get used to the boat first, and find out how to manage her, but presently you shall come and try, and so shall Milly if she likes.”

On they rowed, farther and farther from the shore, till Aunt Emma’s house began to look quite small, and they could hardly see the gardener working on the lawn.

“Father, what a long way we’ve come,” cried Milly, looking all round.  “Where are we going to?”

“Well, presently, Milly, I am going to turn the boat a little bit, so as to make her go over to that side of the lake over there.  Do you see a big rock with some trees on it, far away, sticking out into the lake?”

“Yes,” said the children, looking very hard.

“Well, that’s where we’re going to have tea.  It’s called Birdsnest Point, because the rocks come out in a point into the lake.  But first I thought I would bring you right out into the middle of the lake, that you might see how big it is, and look at the mountains all round.”  “Father,” said Olly, “if a big stone fell down out of the sky and made ever such a big hole in the boat, and the water came into the hole, should we all be dead?”

“I daresay we should, Olly, for I don’t think I could carry mother, and Aunt Emma, and Milly, and you on my back, safe home again, and you see none of you can swim but me.”

“Then I hope a big stone won’t come,” said Milly, feeling just a little bit frightened at Olly’s suggestion.

“Well, big stones don’t grow in the sky generally, Milly, if that’s any comfort to you.  But do you know, one day long ago, when I was out rowing on this lake, I thought all of a sudden I heard some one shouting and screaming, and for a long time I looked and waited, but could see nothing; till at last I fancied I could see, a long distance off, what looked like a pole, with something white tied to it.  And I rowed, and rowed, and rowed, as fast as I could, and all the time the shouting and screaming went on, and at last what do you think I saw?  I saw a boat, which looked as if something was dragging it down into the water.  Part of it had already sunk down into the lake, and in the part which was still above the water there were three people sitting, a gentleman, and two little girls who looked about ten years old.  And they were shouting ‘Help! help!’ at the top of their voices, and waving an oar with a handkerchief tied to it.  And the boat in which they sat was sinking farther and farther into the water, and if I had’n’t come up just when I did, the gentleman and the two little girls would have been drowned.”