19 SALLY'S PLAN
DARRELL went to see Sally at Break as usual the next morning. Sally greeted her eagerly. 'Well,I've thought of something! It's not a frightfully good plan, but it will do as a beginning.'
'What is it?' asked Darrell, thinking how pretty the plain little Sally looked that morning, with colourin her cheeks, and twinkles in her eyes.
'Well, listen. What about you pretending to be in difficulties in the pool, when you get the chance,and yelling out to Mary- Lou to run and get the life-belt quickly and throw it to you?' said Sally. 'Ifshe does that, and feels that she has saved you from going under, she'll be awfully¹ bucked². We allknow how to chuck the belt into the water. It would be quite easy for her to do.'
'Yes. It's a good idea,' said Darrell. i might try it out tomorrow. I'll give the tip to the others not tothrow it to me, but to let Mary-Lou. At least, I'll tell the people I can trust— not dear Gwendoline, forinstance! Do you really think it will help Mary-Lou not to be so scared of things if she does that?'
'Well, it seems to me that Mary-Lou will never be able to face up to things unless she thinks she's gota bit of good sense and courage in her to start with!' said Sally, seriously. 'You can't possibly doanything if you think you can't. But you can do impossible things sometimes if you think you can.'
'How do you know things like that?' asked Darell, in admiration³. 'I wish / did!'
'Oh, it's not very difficult really,'said Sally. 'All you do is put yourself into the place of the otherperson, and feel like them, and then think how you could cure yourself if you were them. That soundsmuddled—but I can't very well say exactly what 1 mean. 1 haven't the words.'
'Oh, 1 know what you mean, all right!' said Darrell. 'You do what Mother is always telling me to do—get into somebody else's skin, and feel what they're feeling. But I'm too impatient to do that. I'mtoo tightly in my own skin! You're not. I think you're clever and kind, Sally.'
Sally went red and looked pleased. She also looked rather shy. 'I'm not clever—and you know I'm notkind, by the way I behaved to Daphne,' she said. 'But it's nice that you think so, anyway! Do youthink you can work the idea out all right, Darrell?'
'Oh, yes, I think so,' said Darrell. 'I'll try it tomorrow, when we're in the pool. Mary-Lou has got a bitof a cold and isn't allowed to bathe this week, so she'll be watching by the side. She can easily go andget the life-belt and fling it to me. Won't she be bucked!'

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