“‘You’ll be facing the shore, Sarah,’ said I, ‘when I turn the boat to row back, and you’ll be much interested in seeing the various objects growing bigger and bigger as we approach the land.’
“‘No wonder people are fond of the water,’ said she; ‘I could stop here for weeks.’
“Poor woman! I doubt if she’d say that now.
“It was six o’clock when I turned the boat’s head. I never doubted that I could row back in twenty minutes, and reckoned that the extra half-hour would be well worth the money. I rowed at first with a good deal of energy, and my wife was delighted at the manner in which I made the foam fly with my oars. Indeed, I worked too hard; the exertion soon tired me, and I perspired at every pore with the heat. It was slightly distracting that the baby, who had been sleeping very quietly, should now wake up and cry for what I suppose you might call her tea, if you can give regular names to milk-and-water administered about seven times a day.
“‘I am sorry, William,’ said my wife, ‘that we have stopped longer than the hour.’
“‘Oh,’ said I, knowing that the child was running in her head, ‘baby will do very well until we get home; we shan’t be long now;’ and again I exerted my strength and toiled like a champion rower.
“‘It’s very curious,’ said I, giving up after about ten minutes, and feeling quite exhausted, and panting for breath.
“‘What’s very curious?’ said my wife.
“‘Why,’ said I, pulling out my watch, ‘here it is twenty minutes past six, and the land seems rather farther off than it was before I turned the boat’s head towards it.’
“‘Yes,’ said she, growing a little pale; ‘I’ve been noticing that, too.’