Wet Magic
It did not look difficult, however. Nor was it. At the first shot a tiny candlestick was encircled. Between pride and shame Mavis held out a hand.
"Hard luck," said one of the two young women, too clean to be pitied. "Has to go flat on—see?"
Francis tried again. This time the ring encircled a matchbox, "flat on."
"Hard luck," said the lady again.
"What's the matter now?" the children asked, baffled.
"Hoop has to be red side up," said she. So she scored. Now they went to the other side and had another penn'orth of hoops from the other too clean young woman. And the same thing happened. Only on the second winning she said:
"Hard luck. Hoops have to be blue side up."
It was Bernard's blood that was up. He determined to clear the board.
"Blue side up, is it," he said sternly, and took another penn'orth. This time he brought down a tin pin tray and a little box which, I hope, contained something. The girl hesitated and then handed over the prizes. "Another penn'orth of hoops," said Bernard, warming to the work.
"Hard luck," said she. "We don't give more than two penn'orth to any one party."
The prizes were not the kind of things you care to keep, even as trophies of victory—especially when you have before you the business of rescuing a Mermaid. The children gave their prizes to a small female bystander and went to the shooting gallery. That, at least, could have no nonsense about it. If you aimed at a bottle and hit it it would break. No sordid self-seeking custodian could rob you of the pleasant tinkling of the broken bottle. And even with a poor weapon it is not impossible to aim at a bottle and hit
36
