Marjorie thought the rabbits were very pretty, but just as she was about to play a game of hide and go seek with them, the supper bell rang, and as soon as the three Noah boys had washed their hands and combed their hair they came to the table. Shem pulled out his mother's chair and Ham politely helped Marjorie into hers.
It was all very interesting to the little girl, and when Mrs. Noah looked over at her and said, in a motherly way, "I always wanted a little girl of my own," Marjorie felt quite at home.
"Thank you, ma'am," she said, "but I think you have very nice boys!"
After the supper table was cleared and the dishes washed, Mrs. Noah and Marjorie went up on deck, where they found Capt. Noah contentedly smoking his pipe. The three boys were having a merry time with the little dog. The rain had stopped and the sky was full of stars.
"I don't know how much of a rainfall we have had this time," said Capt. Noah, "but it must have been pretty heavy, for there seems to be as much water around as there was when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights."
And then, all of a sudden, a harsh, grating noise was heard and everybody jumped up. "Have we struck a rock?" inquired Mrs. Noah anxiously.
"I don't know," answered Capt. Noah, peering over the side. "I can't see bottom."
Suddenly the Ark stopped altogether.
"Guess we're aground now, all right," said Japheth. "It's too dark to tell much about it, though."
"No, it isn't!" cried a deep, gurgling voice, and their astonished eyes saw the head of a whale rise above the bow.