into the hole
below, and I was hauled out on to the top safe and sound, 'cept a few
scratches, and only a bit of the sleeve of my shirt left.

"There, you know the rest."

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF ALL THIS?"

I did know the rest; how Shock and I lay for a fortnight at the little
country inn carefully tended before we were declared fit to go back
home, for the doctor was not long in bringing us back to our senses;
and, save that I used to wake with a start out of my sleep in the dark,
fancying I was back in the pit, I was not much the worse. Shock was
better, for he looked cleaner and fresher, but he objected a great deal
to our nurse brushing his hair.

I was just back and feeling strong again, when one day Sir Francis came
down into the pinery, and stopped and spoke to me. He said he had heard
all about my narrow escape, and hoped it would be a warning to me never
to trust myself in a sand-pit again.

He was very kind after his manner, which was generally as if he thought
all the world were soldiers, and I was going up to my dinner soon, after
I had stopped for a bit of a cool down in one of the other houses, when,
to my great disgust, I saw Courtenay and Philip back, and I felt a kind
of foreboding that there would soon be some more troubles to face.

I was quite right, for during the rest of their stay at home they seemed
to have combined to make my life as wretched as they possibly could.

I was often on the point of complaining, but I did not like to do so,
for it seemed to be so cowardly, and besides, I argued to myself that I
could not expect all sunshine. Old Brownsmith used to have me over to
spend Sundays with him, and his brother and Mrs Solomon were very kind.
Ike sometimes went so far as to say "Good-morning" and "good-night,"
and Shock had become so friendly that he would talk, and bring me a good
moth or butterfly for my case.

I went steadily on collecting, for Mr Solomon said, as long as the work
was done well he would rather I did amuse myself in a sensible way.

The consequence was that I often used to go down the garden of a night,
and my collection of moths was largely increased.

I noticed about this time that Sir Francis used to talk a good deal to
Shock, and by and by I found from Ike that the boy was going regularly
to an evening-school, and altering a great deal for the better.
Unfortunately, Ike, with whom he lodged, was not improving, as I had
several op