“You’re not drowned,” he kept telling Dot, who was sadly frightened and crying bitterly.  “You’re only wet, Sister.”

“Take her up to Mrs. Clayton’s,” ordered Captain Jenks.  “We were headed for there, and she always has a big fire on account of the ironing.  She’ll know what to do.”

Apparently Mr. Harley knew where Mrs. Clayton lived, for he strode away with Dot in his arms.  Captain Jenks, Meg and Bobby and Twaddles had to run to keep up with him.  He stopped before a whitewashed cottage with a woman ironing in the large front room.

“Can you dry this baby off and give her something hot to drink?” asked Captain Jenks, and Mrs. Clayton held out her arms for Dot.

The little girl was indignant at being called “baby” but her teeth were chattering from cold and fright, and the hot cocoa Mrs. Clayton presently gave her tasted very good.  She went off to sleep after that, wrapped in a warm blanket, and woke to find her clothes dry and ironed.

Mrs. Clayton was a stout, comfortable, jolly kind of woman who did washing and ironing for the Summer people on the various islands and in the shore towns that bordered Sunset Lake.  She promised to have Mother Blossom’s clothes ready a week from that day, and the children trotted back to the boat, Dot none the worse for her experience.  They knew no one at home would be worried, though Dot had slept two hours, because they were not expected back till the afternoon boat.

“We had cocoa and jelly sandwiches while you were asleep,” Twaddles informed his sister.  “And Mrs. Clayton has a ship carved out of a piece of bone!”

At the wharf they found Mr. Harley and Chris Smith, the boathouse man, and Captain Jenks, all very glad to see them and glad that Dot’s ducking had not been worse.  The captain had several other passengers to another island on this trip.

“I’ll be over in a day or two,” said Mr. Harley, as the children boarded The Sarah.  “Might as well look around the place once in a while.”

Father Blossom was waiting on their wharf when they reached Apple Tree Island, and his first question was whether they had found some one to do the washing to save Mother Blossom from attempting too much.

“Yes, and she’s already started,” cried Bobby eagerly.  “She washed and ironed Dot!”

CHAPTER XII

SUNNY SUMMER DAYS

“Washed and ironed Dot!” repeated Father Blossom.  “Why, what happened to Dot?”

The four little Blossoms explained, and then they had to tell the story again to Mother Blossom when they went up to the bungalow.  Father and Mother Blossom were so glad and so grateful that the accident had turned out so fortunately, when it might easily have had serious consequences, that they scolded no one.  Dot was sure that she would not climb up on the rail of The Sarah another time, and Father and Mother Blossom knew she would be careful.