26 A Day with the Sea Urchins,

 

word or look, and loved her with all their hearts, and
believe me, children, no true artist or poet was ever
born who does not do so too. ,

“ Where are our horses, Ruby? let us ride
Adown the sun-track on the ebbing tide ;

chanted Topaz.

“The horses wait in yonder shining pool,
I bridled them as day broke, fresh and cool ;”

answered Ruby, whose duty it was to look after the
steeds of the little party.

He slipped off the rock and disappeared, but returned
in a twinkling, swimming in front of six sea-horses,
whose bridles of brown seaweed were looped over his
arms. These bridles looked exactly like leather, and