“Well, go and fetch the pail.”
After all, it would be good fun to put them all back into the sea, Peggy thought; so she ran away and fetched the garden pail from the shed. Colonel Roberts pulled up his sleeves, and dived his arm into the tub, and fished up the creatures one by one. They all looked rather flabby and sick.
“Now, we must take them down to the shore,” he said.
They selected a nice large pool, and one by one placed the poor sick creatures into it. Then Peggy sat down to watch. She had not long to wait: the sick flounder revived in the most extraordinary manner, the anemones began to wave their feelers about in the nice clean water as if they too felt all right.
“See! they are all quite happy again, Peggy,” said her father.
“Oh, I am sorry not to keep them,” said she. “Do you think I’ll ever get anything to play with that I can love so much?”
“Well, that depends upon yourself, Peggy; but as we walk back to the house you can guess what I’ve got for you at home.”
“Have you got something new for me—something I’ll love?”
“Yes, quite new. I fancy you’ll love it very much.”
“As much as my sea beasts?”