efforts, the large, round tub was gradually got off the ground, and actually floated. "Hurrah!" shouted the brave little Alfy. "Now for Island House!"

But try as he would he could not make the heavily laden craft float towards the house. His paddles were too small, or he had not power enough to make the best use of them, and slowly the current bore him away.

Then he called on Mansy to help, but, good woman, she no more knew how to paddle a tub properly than to fly to the moon! Their efforts perhaps slightly retarded the progress of the strange craft, but could not alter its course.

"I'll try the rope," cried Alfy in desperation. "Madge! Jane!" he shouted, "look out!"

He threw the rope, but, of course, it fell far short of the house. A moment's reflection would have shown him that it could not possibly reach the window where stood his sisters and the servant maid.

They saw the difficulty now, and screamed aloud, while Mansy endeavoured to shout back reassuring answers.

"It's no use," said Alfy, crouching down in the tub, "we are floating away. We cannot get to the house. What shall we do now?"

CHAPTER II.

TO THE LABURNUM TREE.

hat shall we do now?"

It was Mansy who echoed Alfy's cry. "Can't we stop it somehow, Master Alfy?" she added. "Tie it with the rope to the top of some tree or something. Look there, could we not catch the line on there?" and she pointed to the shrubby top of a big bush or tree. Alfy could not exactly see what it was, but he saw something jutting up above the water.

The boy hastily took up his ladles, and endeavoured to steer the strange bark to the point indicated. It was a weary, troublesome task. Then Mansy threw the line, trying to catch it in the branches, and nearly overbalanced herself into the water.

"The rockety thing!" she exclaimed, half in alarm and half in contempt. "I feared it 'ud go over."

"It's all right, Mansy, if you sit still," said Alfy; "but try and paddle it with the umbrella to the tree."

So they both endeavoured to float it in the desired direction, and at length Alfy thought he might venture to throw the rope. He did so, and with some good effect, for it fell over a branch, and, though it did not wind tightly round and had no firm hold, he could just give the tub a bias in that direction.

After plying his paddles with fairly good result for a little time, he drew in the rope, and again launched it forth at the tree top. Again he was, to some extent, successful, and in a few minutes he was able to float the tub in among the branches.

"Here we are!" he cried, "quite like the baby in the nursery rhyme—'Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top,' you know, eh, Mansy dear? Now we will tie the tub firmly to the branches, so that there will be no fear of floating away!"

"You have managed well, Master Alfy," said Mansy, admiringly.

"Oh, but it was your idea; and look, we are not so very far from the house!"

"I wish we were there!" sighed Mansy.

"So do I," said Alfy, "but, Mansy dear, I really am very hungry, and you said you had something to eat in those packages!"

"And so I have," replied his old nurse. "Dear boy, you must be hungry. I suppose the girls have something left?"

"Oh yes, quite enough for another meal, I should think! I wish we could let them know we are safe, and not so very far away."

"Burn a light; I have some matches and a little spirit lamp. I bought it with some other things yesterday, thinking it might be handy in the summer, when the kitchen fire was out, to boil a little water."

"Oh, what fun!" cried Alfy. "We are just like wrecked sailors or something, near a desert island! We'll burn some of the papers round the parcels to make a great flare."

So the lamp was lit, and the papers burned, and Alfy waved the flimsy, flaming torch bravely for a minute or so, that the watchers in the island house might just catch a glimpse of them and of their position.

An answering light was soon flashed back by the girls, so they knew that their own had been seen.

"Now we will take some of this tongue," said Mansy, producing the tin in which it was preserved, "Lucky I got the young man in the shop to open it. But what about a knife to cut it?"

"Won't this do?" asked Alfy, producing his pocket-knife. "At all events, it is better than nothing."

"Why, bless the boy! so it is; but I am afraid it won't do very well. Howsomdever, we'll make the best of it!"

"Perhaps I can manage it better than you, Mansy," suggested Alfy. "I am more used to it, you know; and really it is a splendid knife when you know how to use it."

"Yes, I should think so, when you know how to use it, my dear, but I cannot do very much with it in cutting nice slices!"

"Oh, never mind the nice slices, if we can get some nice mouthfuls," laughed the boy. And he proceeded to cut some small slips off the top of the tongue with great facility, considering the unsuitability of the small pocket-knife for the purpose.

"Capital!" cried his nurse, as Alfy handed her a few of the small slices, and then she produced some biscuits, and Alfy and Mansy made quite an enjoyable meal.

"ALFY AND MANSY MADE QUITE AN ENJOYABLE MEAL."

"I wish this water was fit to drink," she said, "for I feel thirsty. Now tell me where it comes from, if you can, and how the flood happened?"

"It was yesterday afternoon," replied Alfy. "About three o'clock we suddenly heard a loud noise, and then the water came rushing all round the house and into the lower rooms too! We were frightened and surprised at first, I can tell you!"

"I expect you were," replied Mansy sympathetically. "And all in the lower rooms. Oh, mercy on us, what a to-do! Is the mill-dam broke, do you think?"

"I don't know, Mansy. I'm not sure if it came that way. Have some more tongue, Mansy dear? It's jolly!"

"Thank you," exclaimed Mansy; "I don't mind if I do, Master Alfy. Well," she continued, as she took out some more biscuits, "if anybody'd told me this morning that I should have had my supper to-night in a washin' tub on the water I'd 'a said they was cracked!"

"And so should I," said Alfy. "Still, here we are, Mansy; and the next question is how long shall we be obliged to stay?"

"Yes, indeed," she sighed; "that is the question, and one we can't answer!"

"We must make the best of it," he said bravely. "I think I could swim to the house and drag the tub by the rope."

"I wouldn't hear of it for the world, Master Alfy," protested his nurse; "you'd catch your death!"

"Perhaps I could walk in the water," he replied. "I don't believe it is very deep. Try it, dear Mansy, with your umbrella, and see how deep it is."

"I wouldn't let you, Master Alfy; I wouldn't indeed. You'd catch your death, I tell you!"

"But we can't stay here all night, Mansy."

"I can't let you get into the water, Master Alfy. You don't know how deep it is, nor how strong it's a-runnin'; and you'll catch your death!"

"What dreadful disasters!" laughed Alfy. But he knew quite well that his nurse could make up her mind firmly, and that it would be useless to argue with her. Still he thought he might have tried to get the boat nearer the house.

The moon was now shining brightly, and a beautiful silvery path of light lay on the water. Alfy sat on the side of the tub opposite his nurse and watched the scene. It was a strange