For Marjorie had thoughtlessly emptied the water from the bucket back into the well instead of pouring it out on the ground, and though Molly’s bucket swung to one side of the well, yet the child was pretty well splashed with the falling water.

But undaunted by trifles of that sort, Molly proceeded gayly to give her orders.  “Now, Midget,” she went on, “if your bucket’s empty, set it near the edge, and get in and come on down.”

Though not as absolutely reckless as Molly, Midget was daring enough, and, placing the empty bucket on the very edge of the curb, she put her feet in, and, standing on her toes with her heels against the side of the bucket, she wound her arms about the chain as Molly had done, and twisted about until the bucket fell off the edge.

Had the girls been more nearly of equal weight, their plan would have worked better; but as Marjorie was so much heavier than Molly, the laws of gravitation claimed her, and she went swiftly down.

The instant that she started, Molly realized this, and her quick wits told her that, unless stopped, Marjorie’s bucket would dive deep into the water.

It was a critical situation, and had it not been for Molly’s presence of mind a tragedy might have resulted.  As it was, she bravely grasped at Marjorie as she passed her; and with a sudden bump, as the two buckets hit together and then fell apart, Molly clutched at Marjorie, and the buckets paused side by side, while the girls shivered and shook, partly with fear and partly with fun.

“What are we going to do?” said Molly.  “If I let go of you, you’ll go smash into the water, and I’ll fly up to the top!”

“Keep hold of me, then,” replied Midget, who had a wonderful power of adapting herself to a situation.

And so the two girls, each with one hand grasping a bucket chain and their other hands tightly clasped, stood face to face half-way down the old well.

“I don’t think this is such an awfully nice place,” said Marjorie, looking round at the slimy green walls which shone wet in the semi-darkness.

“Well, it’s cool,” retorted Molly, who was shivering in her wet clothing.

“Of course it’s cool, but my feet ache, standing on my toes so long.  I wonder if I couldn’t sit down on the side of the bucket.”

“Don’t try!” exclaimed Molly, in alarm.  “You’ll keel over and upset us both into the water!”

“You said the water wasn’t deep; perhaps it’s only up to our knees; that wouldn’t hurt us.”

“Yes, and perhaps it’s over our heads!  I don’t know how deep it is, I’m sure; but I must say it looks deep.”

The girls peered downward and saw only a black, shining surface, with a shadowy reflection of themselves.

“Well, I’ve had enough of it,” said Marjorie; “now, how are we going to get back again?”

“I don’t know,” said Molly, slowly, as if the idea had just occurred to her; “honest, Marjorie, I don’t know.”