bath ? " The suggestion was rapturously 

 received. A live duckling in a bath was 

 obviously a better game than a fleet of tin 

 fish the sort that has a stick of steel project- 

 ing from the snou.t drawn by means of a 

 magnet on a hesitating and frequently inter- 

 rupted course. So up we dashed into the 

 paternal dressing-room, carrying our favourite 

 with us. The bath was quickly filled and the 

 duckling was promptly launched on the sur- 

 face of the water. It proved to be a most 

 intrepid navigator. It chattered with delight, 

 dabbling enthusiastically in the water, fling- 

 ing showers over its body, standing on its 

 innocent head, and expressing its joy by a 

 hundred pretty antics. It was great sport to 

 keep moving from one end of the bath to the 

 other and to watch it paddling desperately 

 after us. For speed against the clock over 

 that particular course of five feet or so I am 

 sure its record still holds good. There was 

 never another competitor, and house and bath 

 have now vanished from the earth. 

 32 



