pped off,
opened his knife, and trimmed the ragged place off clean, and then went
back to his work.

"Now he's offended," I said to myself with a sigh; and I went on picking
apples in terribly low spirits.

CHAPTER TEN.

MY FIRST APPLE.

I had been working for about half an hour longer when I found I could
get no more, and this time I went a little way and called Ike from where
he was at work to move the ladder for me.

He came in a surly way, and then stared at me.

"Want me to move the ladder? Why can't yer move it yerself?" he
grumbled.

"You know I'm not strong enough," I said.

"Ho! that's it, is it? I thought you were such a great big cock-a-hoop
sort of a chap that you could do anything. Well, where's it to be?"

"Round the other side, I think," I said.

"No; this here's best," he cried, and whisking up the ladder I stood
admiring his great brown arms and the play of the muscles as he carried
the ladder as if it had been a straw, and planted it, after thrusting
the intervening boughs aside with the top to get it against a stout
limb.

"There you are, my lad," he said. "Now, are you satisfied?"

"Yes; and thank you, Ike," I said quickly. "And I'm very much obliged
to you about wanting to take the blame upon yourself about the broken
ladder and--"

"Here, I can't stand listening to speeches with my plants a-shrivelling
up in the sun. Call me if you wants me agen."

He gave me a curious look and went away, leaving me with the impression
that I had thoroughly offended him now, and that I was a most unlucky
boy.

I climbed the ladder again, picking as fast as I could to make up for
lost time; and as the sun shone so hotly and I kept on picking the
beautiful fruit with the bough giving and swaying so easily, I began to
feel more at ease once more. While I picked and filled and emptied my
basket I began to reason with myself and to think that after all Mr
Brownsmith would not be so very angry with me if I went to him boldly
and told the truth.

This thought cheered me wonderfully, and I was busily working away when
I heard the whistling and scratching noise made by somebody walking
sharply through the gooseberry bushes, and, looking round, there was Ike
carrying another ladder, and Shock coming along loaded with baskets,
evidently to go on picking apples from one of the neighbouring trees.

They neither of them spoke. Ike planted the ladder ready, and Shock
took a basket and ran up, a