check a breath of admiration.

The small boy shivering on the platform vibrated between courage and
fear; then, urged by the shouts from above, and lured by that sparkling
face and those outstretched arms below, he leaped. Shrieks of laughter
followed as his fat little body spanked the water, and was quickly
righted and deposited, gasping, but victorious, on a life-buoy. Then the
small girl must dive, and after that all three must splash and jump and
float and swim like a trio of mad young porpoises.

The Honorable Percival was a good swimmer himself, and his interest
kindled as he watched the perfect ease with which the young person
handled herself in the narrow confines of the tank. While he deplored
the wretched taste of the proceeding, he had to admit that she carried
it off with admirable lack of self-consciousness. She swam as she did
everything else, with impetuous joy, and seemed as unaware of the
admiring glances of the spectators as the children themselves.

"Did ye see her the other day when she climbed to the crow's-nest?"
asked the Scotchman, with enthusiasm.

"No," said Percival, curtly.

"The wind was blowing at a bittie, but she went up the rigging like a
sailor. I doubt if the lass would be afraid of the de'il himself."

"Probably jolly well used to all this sort of thing," said Percival,
wearily.

"Indeed, no; this is her first sea-voyage. She never saw a ship before."