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Wet Magic "Oh, can't I," said Mavis. "I'll tell you something. My mother has a tail too."

"I say!" said Francis.

But the Spangled Child understood.

"She don't wear it every day, though," he said; and Mavis is almost sure that he winked. Only it is so difficult to be sure about winks in the starlight.

"Your mother must be better born than I supposed," said the Mermaid. "Are you quite sure about the tail?"

"I've trodden on it often," said Mavis—and then Francis saw.

Wriggling and sliding and pushing herself along by her hands, and helped now and then by the hands of the others, the Mermaid was at last got to the edge of the water.

"How glorious! In a moment I shall be quite wet," she cried.

In a moment everyone else was quite wet also—for with a movement that was something between a squirm and a jump, she dropped from the edge with a splashing flop.

And disappeared entirely. 60