Hazel Holland led the protesting Tommy along the pier to the shore,
where she walked the little girl up and down as fast as she could be
induced to move, which, after all, was not much faster than an
ordinarily slow walk. The others of the party remained out at the end,
walking back and forth and waiting until the coming of the dawn, so
that they might see to that for which they had planned by daylight.

At the first suggestion of dawn, Harriet plunged into the pond without
a word of warning to her companions and began gathering up and pushing
bundles of equipment toward the shore. Jane and Hazel were not far
behind her. Then Miss Elting, not to be outdone by her charges,
plunged in after them. Margery, shivering, turned her back on them and
walked shoreward.

"'Fraid cat! 'fraid cat!" taunted Tommy, when she saw Margery coming.

"I'm no more afraid than you are. You're afraid to go into the water.
The only way you can go in is to fall in or be pushed!"

"Am I? Ith that tho? Well, I'll thhow you whether I am afraid of the
water. I dare you to follow me." Tommy fairly flew down the pier;
then, leaping up into the air, jumped far out, taking a clean
feet-first dive into the pond, uttering a shrill little yell just
before disappearing under the surface. But all at once she stood up,
and, by raising her chin a little, was able to keep her head above
water.

"Hello there, Tommy, what are you standing on?" called Harriet,
puffing and blowing as she pushed a canvas-bound pack along ahead of
her.