The holidays at Roslyn were the months of July and August, and towards their close Mr.and Mrs.Williams intended to leave Vernon at Fairholm, and start for India--sending back Eric by himself as a boarder in Dr.Rowlands' house.
After morning school, on fine days, the boys used to run straight down to the shore and bathe.

A bright and joyous scene it was.

They stripped off their clothes on the shingle that adjoined the beach, and then running along the sands, would swim out far into the bay till their heads looked like small dots glancing in the sunshine.

This year Eric had learned to swim, and he enjoyed the bathing more than any other pleasure.
One day after they had dressed, Russell and he began to amuse themselves on the sea-shore.

The little translucent pools left on the sands by the ebbing tide always swarm with life, and the two boys found great fun in hunting audacious little crabs, or catching the shrimps that shuffled about in the shallow water.