Screams and shouts once more attracted the swimming instructor, who, since the advent of Neptune, had been seriously considering throwing up his job. Realizing that he could not follow his natural inclination and let the woman drown in front of so many witnesses, he dived into the water and tried to move her. Looking up through the water at the blurred faces peering down at him, he shook his head in a gesture of discouragement. Then, as if seized by a new idea, he swam over to Neptune and once more tugged his beard. The god awoke with a furious churning of water and looked about him wildly. With bursting lungs the instructor pointed to the figure of the woman on the bottom of the tank. With a shrug ofhis shoulders the god removed his beard from the clutching hand and lay down beside the woman. The instructor popped to the surface with an expression of utter bewilderment on his strained face. For a few seconds he clung to the side of the tank gasping for breath. Then he pulled himself out and sat down heavily, his feet still dangling in the water. He was through with that tank forever. He even doubted if he would ever swim again or have anything to do with water even to the extent of taking a bath.

"What are you going to do?" as an indignant lady. "That woman's drowning."

"Search me, lady," said the instructor. "That's not a woman down there. She's a rock in female form. If anybody else wants to save her you're welcome to the job."

A number of men jumped into the pool, and Mr. Hawk petrified them for their pains. Down they went to the bottom of the pool in all sorts of odd positions. Soon the tank was filled with the petrified bodies of dozens of men and women. Neptune woke up and looked about him with a pleased expression on his face. Thrusting out his trident, he struck one of the bodies and was surprised to discover that the blow took no effect. He rose and jabbed viciously at several others, with the same result. Those watching from above were overcome with horror. Fainting and hysteria became the order of the day.

"Open all outlets," called the instructor to one of his assistants. "We'll have to drain the tank."

He rose wearily and sauntered away to supervise the execution of his order. As far as he was concerned everybody present could drown to their heart's content. He washed his hands of the whole business. It was a damn queer pool, filled with damn queer people. Saving pieces of statuary was not in his contract, and no one was going to tell him anything different.

The manager and several members of his staff arrived on the scene of action just as Neptune's head and the business end of his trident emerged from the rapidly receding waters of the tank.

"My God! Who is this person?" asked the started official. "Looks like old man Neptune himself."

"Don't know what his name is," replied the instructor, "but he's been making a public nuisance of himself on the bottom of that tank for the last hour or more without coming up once to breathe."

"Then the man must be drowned," said the manager decisively. "That's all there is to it."

"I'm afraid there's lots more than that," the instructor muttered.

"And who are all these other persons lying about down there in those ridiculous postures?" demanded the manager impatiently.

"I didn't ask them their names, sir," said the instructor, "but a short time ago they were all alive and kicking. Now they're just so many rocks."

"Then they're all dead, too" the manager snapped out. "This is really too bad. It wuold have to happen on a hot day just when we need the pool. Can't you hurry up with the bodies?"

"Can't even life them," was the reply. "We'll have to use a derrick."

"Nonsense," replied the manager. "The excitement has affected your brain. I'll go down myself and investigate."

There was no foolishness about this manager. A dozen or so dead bodies in his tank meant little to him save trouble and unfavorable publicity. He was a man of action and quick decisions, the majority of which were bad. When the pool was empty he descended the ladder and seized the first body he saw. The body failed to budge. He then said violent hands upon another with the same result. After he had wasted his energy on a third he stopped and looked up with a frown.

"Who's been chucking all these statues into the pool?" he demanded.

"They might be statues now," replied the instructor, "but they were living men and women half an hour ago. Ask anybody here."

"Impossible," said the manager. "Never heard such rubbish in all my life. These things were never living beings. They're just plain, everyday statues, and not very good ones a that. Some prize ass has been having a bit of a joke at your expense."

As if to refute the manager's words Mr. Hawk released the figures. They rose from the floor of the tank and angrily confronted the manager.

"We'd like to know the meaning of this," one of them demanded.

"Of what?" replied the manager, breaking out in an opulent sweat.

"We don't know," replied the other.

"Neither do I," said the manager. "Let's get out of here."

Copyright 1931 by Thorne Smith, copyright renewed 1958 by June Smith Delaney and Marion Smith Conner.