"What in the name of sense are you two kids chanting," ejaculated Roger, poking his head inside.
"Go away, Roger. We can breathe and we can work our arms and that means we can keep afloat. If only we can get the leg motions right!"
"Let me give you a pointer," said Roger, who was a fine swimmer; "while you're learning try hard not to make any useless movements. They tire you and they don't get you anywhere."
"That's just what our teacher says. 'Lost motion is bad anywhere, but in swimming it's fatal.'"
"She's all right," commended Roger. "You just keep up that bench system of yours and you'll come out O.K."
So Ethel Blue stretched herself again face down on the bench and Ethel Brown put her cousin's heels together and her toes out and pulled her legs straight back.
"Ready," she cried.
Then she pushed Ethel Blue's legs forward as close to her body as they would go, and a muffled groan came from the pupil, head down over the bench.
"Hold your head up. Can't you make your arms go at the same time? Now leg Number One goes with the arm Number One."
"I can't do it yet," gurgled Ethel Blue; "I want to learn these leg movements by themselves first."