Edith turned so quickly that she almost fell on the slippery weed.
Frances was fairly dancing with excitement, wholly however of
pleasure.

In the hollowed rock lay a pool of clear sea water, at first sight
filled with bright-hued flowers, pink, purple, orange. The next
glance showed them to be living organisms.

"Sea-anemones!" breathed Edith softly. "I never saw anything so
beautiful."

The anemones were pulpy brown bodies varying in size from a pea to
a tomato. From their anchorage on the rock they stretched waving
tentacles of soft iridescent hues, transforming the little pool
into a marine fairyland. Between the anemones a bright yellow
lichen-like growth almost covered the warm red granite, and tiny
yellow, rose, and black and white striped snails were set like
jewels on this background. Two or three sharp limpet shells waved
feathery seaweed fans.

A long time passed and the girls still lingered. They discovered
that most of the pools boasted anemones, some not unlike an
ordinary land daisy with light-colored tentacles stretching ray-
shaped from a yellow centre. When touched with an empty shell, the
anemone would close over it, folding both the shell and itself
into a tight brown ball, then open slowly and drop the shell. The
only food the girls had with them was some sweet chocolate, so
they experimented with this, watching the lovely living sea-
flowers seize upon fragments held within reach of their feelers.