UPWARD THROUGH THE WATER ...
She almost dropped the little mites she was holding in her arms, but she hugged them tighter, and when they came to the surface of the pool she was holding them safe in her arms.
They came out dripping on the bank of the pool, and there were the three starlight fairies.
“Oh!” cried Winnie. “She’s brought my star!”
The water sprite dragged Merrimeg onto the dry grass, and took the three babies from her arms and laid them down on the grass.
“Now! now! now!” he cried. It was plain that he was very angry. He was trembling all over. “What are you going to do about it? Look what you’ve done.”
“Why,” said Merrimeg, “why——”
“First comes this horrible star and breaks in the roof of my house and lets in all the water! And then—oh you wicked creatures!—you throw down your ’bom’nable stones and break my roof all to pieces and kill my children—my poor children—look at ’em—look at ’em, will you?—look at those bumps on their foreheads—oh my poor children—You ’bom’nable creatures, you! You perfectly awful wicked ’bom’nable——”
“Oh!” said Florrie. “It’s too bad. I’m so sorry.”