What luck ? ' she asked , as the heels went down and a dripping head came up . Josie could only choke and splutter at first , being half strangled ; but though her hands had failed again , her courage had not ; and with a resolute shake of her wet hair , a bright look at the tall lady , and a series of puffs to fill her lungs , she said calmly : ' `` Never give up '' is my motto . I 'm going to get it , if I go to Liverpool for it ! Now , then ! ' and down went the mermaid quite out of sight this time , groping like a real lobster at the bottom of the sea . ` Plucky little girl ! I like that . Who is she ? ' asked the lady , sitting down on a half-covered stone to watch her diver , since the bracelet was lost sight of . Bess told her , adding , with the persuasive smile of her father : ` Josie longs to be an actress , and has waited for a month to see you . This is a great happiness for her . ' ` Bless the child ! why did n't she come and call ? I 'd have let her in ; though usually I avoid stage-struck girls as I do reporters , ' laughed Miss Cameron . There was no time for more ; a brown hand , grasping the bracelet , rose out of the sea , followed by a purple face as Josie came up so blind and dizzy she could only cling to Bess , half drowned but triumphant . Miss Cameron drew her to the rock where she sat , and pushing the hair out of her eyes , revived her with a hearty ` Bravo ! bravo ! ' which assured the girl that her first act was a hit . Josie had often imagined her meeting with the great actress -- the dignity and grace with which she would enter and tell her ambitious hopes , the effective dress she would wear , the witty things she would say , the deep impression her budding genius would make .
But never in her wildest moments had she XXXXX an interview like this ; scarlet , sandy , streaming , and speechless she leaned against the illustrious shoulder , looking like a beautiful seal as she blinked and wheezed till she could smile joyfully and exclaim proudly : ' I did get it !
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