and why they left such a long wet trail behind them.

After them sauntered a few idle fishermen; but just for a minute she
could not grasp what had happened. Then she pushed the basket on one side
and ran to the drawing-room door.

Up the stairs came the hurried rush of feet, with the box bumping from
stair to stair. Then the dripping family clung about her with soaked
garments, and hair that looked like seaweed.

"Mother, change us, please, before nurse sees us."

"But what is it?" she cried. "How did it happen?"

"It was Tom's fault," said Susie, whimpering. "He sent Dick out to sea in
the uniform case, and it has a hole in it, and it went down."

"Oh, run upstairs and change; Dick has a cough."

"He didn't drown," said Tom, "because we had tied a rope to it, and a
fisherman pulled it up."

"And where is Dickie?"

"I told him to go up on the roof and dry--he's on the leads by now. It's
awfully nice there; we went this morning."

"_On the roof!_--Susie, tell him to come down, whilst I get their
clothes.--Tom, how can you do such things?"