“I did,” he agreed. “I did indeed. But now I think of it, I didn’t promise her a live one. The more I consider the matter the more I am sure that no stipulation was made as to the conditions of delivery. I——”
But when he saw Tish continuing to advance he became very serious, and even suggested that if we would only go back he would himself advance as far as possible and endeavor to reach V——.
Just what Tish’s reply would have been I do not know, as at that moment Aggie stumbled and fell into a deep shell hole full of water. We heard the splash and waited for her voice, as we were uncertain of her exact position.
But what was our surprise on hearing a deep masculine voice say: “Hands up, you dirty swine!”
“Let go of me,” came in piteous accents from Aggie.
There was then complete silence, until the other voice said: “Well, I’ll be damned!” It then said: “Bill, Bill!”
“Here,” said still another voice, a short distance away, in a sort of loud whisper.
“There’s a mermaid in my pool,” said the first voice. “Did you draw anything?”
“Lucky devil,” said the other voice. “I’m drawing about eight feet of water, that’s all.”
Tish then advanced in the direction of the voices and said: “Aggie, are you all right?”