Page 271 - Adventures in shadow-land

looking at Cymodoce, who was more like the
wooden nymph than the other -two, and whose

manners were always a little stiff and prim.
“ My sister 1" cried Cymodoce, quite bristling.

“ Am I related to a log of wood?”
Here Arethusa slyly pinched Panope behind

Cymodoce’s back, for the truth was Cymodoce

had once been a wooden ship, and had been made
into a nymph to save her from a conflagration.
She never would allow, however, that this was a

true story.

“ No, of course there is nothing wooden about
yoiij dear/’ said Panope, soothingly. “ Don't
be vexed. Let us help the poor boy if we can,1'

“ He's very like a Triton I used to know/’ said

Arethusa, aside.
“ I saw a ship pass/1 said Panope, looking down
at him with her kind blue eyes, “ Such a big

ship 1 Not like the ones I used to sec here years

ago, and it certainly had a wooden statue on the
prow, but it was only a wooden image; it was not

alive.”
“ How strange it is/1 thought the merman to

himself, “ that these three goddesses should be