“Oh,” said Violet, though I am not sure she understood all about it.

But after that Margy and Mun Bun were careful about getting into the boat, even when they felt sure it was tightly tied to the pier.  They always waited until some older folks were with them, and this was the best way.

The happy days passed at Cousin Tom’s.  The six little Bunkers played on the beach, and, now and then, they looked and dug holes to try to find Rose’s locket.

“I guess it’s gone forever,” said the little girl as the days passed and no locket appeared.  And she never even dreamed of the strange way good luck was to come to her once more.

One warm day, when all the children were playing down on the sandy shore of the inlet, Violet came running back to the house.

“Mother, make Russ stop!” she cried.

“What is he doing?” asked Mrs. Bunker.

“He’s taking my doll.  He’s going to take her out on the ocean in a boat.  Make him stop.”

“Oh, Russ mustn’t do that!” exclaimed Mrs. Bunker.  “Of course I’ll make him stop!”

She went down to the beach with Violet, and, just as they came within sight of the group of children, they heard Rose say: 

“Oh, Russ!  Now you’ve done it!  You have drowned Vi’s doll!”

CHAPTER XV

THE BOX ON THE BEACH

“Dear me!” exclaimed the children’s mother, as she hurried along beside Violet to help settle whatever trouble Russ had caused.

“Oh! did you hear what Rose said?” asked Vi.  “Did you hear?”

“Yes, my dear, I did.”

“Oh, my lovely doll is drowned!” cried the little girl, and there were real tears in her eyes, and some even ran down her nose and splashed to the ground.  “I just knew Russ would be mean and tease me, and he did, and now my doll is drowned and——­”

“Well, it might better be a doll that is drowned and not one of my six little Bunkers,” said the mother.  “Though, of course, I am sorry if any of your playthings are lost.  Russ, did you drown Vi’s doll?” she called to her oldest son.

“I didn’t mean to, Mother,” was the answer.  “I was giving the doll a ride in a boat I made, and the boat got blown by the wind, and the wind upset the boat, and the boat went under water, ’cause I had a cargo of stones on it, and——­”

“What happened to Vi’s doll?” asked Mother Bunker.  “Why don’t you get to that part of it, Russ?”

“I was going to,” he said.  “The doll fell off when the boat upset and sank, and the doll sank, too, I guess.”

“Is my doll really, really, drowned?” cried Violet.

“I—­I’m afraid I guess so,” stammered Russ.  “But maybe I can fish her up again when the tide is low,” he added hopefully.

“Do it now,” sobbed the little girl.

“The water’s too deep now.”

“Where did she get drowned?” asked Violet, gazing through her tears at the waters of the inlet.