uper. Look at him."

"I've been a looking at him," said Bunce slowly, for he was a big
meditative man, and he stood upright, took a piece of flannel from the
strap that supported his whetstone sheath, and wiped the blade of the
scythe.

"Well, can't you see?" cried my tormentor, watching me as I worked away
and assumed ignorance of his presence.

"No," said Bunce sturdily; "and seeing what a long, yellow,
lizardly-looking wisp you are, Master Phil, if you two changed clothing
I should pick you out as the pauper."

"How dare you!" cried the boy fiercely.

"Mind the scythe," shouted Bunce; "d'yer want to get cut?"

"You insolent old worm chopper, how dare you call me a pauper?"

"I didn't call you a pauper," said Bunce chuckling; "did I, Grant?"

"No," I said.

"You're a liar, you pauper!" cried the boy, who was furious. "I'll tell
papa--I'll tell Sir Francis, and you shall both be discharged, you
blackguards."

"I'm just going to mow there, squire," said Bunce, sharpening away at
his scythe.

"Then you'll wait till I choose to move."

"If you don't get out of the way I shall take the soles off your boots,"
said Bunce, putting back his rubber.

"I'll speak to papa about your insolence," cried the boy, with his eyes
flashing and his fists clenched; and I thought he was going to strike
Bunce.

"Well," said a sharp ringing voice, "speak to him then. What is it?"

I started to my feet, and Bunce touched his cap to a tall elderly
gentleman with closely-cut grey hair and a very fierce-looking white
moustache, whose keen eyes seemed to look me through and through.

"I said, what is it, Phil?" cried the newcomer, whom I felt to be Sir
Francis before Philip spoke.

"This fellow called me a pauper, pa!"

Sir Francis turned sharply on Bunce, who did not seem in the slightest
degree alarmed.

"How dare you call my son a pauper, sir?" he said sternly.

"I--"

"Stop!" cried Sir Francis. "Here, you boy, go away and wait till I call
you. Not far."

"Yes, sir," I said; and I walked away thinking what a fierce quick man
he seemed, and not knowing then that he was one of the magistrates.

A minute later he called to me to go back, and as soon as I had reached
him, with Philip by his side and Bunce before him, Philip stepped back
and held up his fist at me menacingly.

He thought the movement was unobserved by his stepfather; but Sir
Francis, who was an old Indian officer, noted the act, as he showed us