Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/371

Rh without paying the slightest attention to Julia. This treatment, however, did not disturb Julia. She was, indeed, too well accustomed to Frances to let her cause her the  least uneasiness. Besides, she found it altogether more amusing to paddle about, now and then supporting herself  with a board which in some way had drifted within the  bathing limits. This was far pleasanter to her than following Brenda and Frances into the deeper water. Besides, out there the jelly fish, white or pink, were altogether too numerous for Julia’s fancy. Brenda did not mind them. In swimming she was expert enough to steer clear of them. She was inclined to laugh when Julia, with a scream of annoyance, drew back from the star-shaped pulpy things  that floated about, altogether too near the surface of the  water.

“It would be so very unpleasant,” she always thought, “to swallow one of those queer things, and there seems to  be no reason why they should n’t drift into my mouth.”

So now she drifted indolently on the surface of the water. Her finger-tips rested lightly on the edge of the board as she moved along, making the swimming motions  with her feet. She realized that she was staying a long time in the water; but she felt so thoroughly refreshed that  she dreaded going back to the warm shore. Glancing toward the beach, she saw that it was altogether deserted.

“Where in the world are Brenda and Frances?” she suddenly exclaimed to herself, glancing out in the direction  where she had last seen them, splashing the water at each  other after they had finished a short race.