"What a shame," I thought; and as I recalled a similar occurrence at Old
Brownsmith's I wished that Shock were with me to help protect Sir
Francis' choice fruit.

I ought to have slipped off back and told Mr Solomon, who would have
made the gardener come from the lower cottage; but I did not think of
that; I only listened and heard one of the thieves whisper to the other:

"Get up; you aren't hurt. Come along."

Then there was a rustling as they forced their way among the bushes, and
went bang up against an espalier. This they skirted, coming close to me
as I stood in the shadow of a pear-tree.

"Come along quick!" I heard; and then the two figures went on rustling
and crashing among the black-currant bushes, so that I could smell the
peculiar herbaceous medicine-scent they gave out.

I knew as well as if I had been told where they were going, and that was
to a double row of beautiful great pears that were just ready to pick,
and which I had noticed that morning, and again when I was sugaring the
trees close by.

At first I had taken them for men, but by degrees, by the tone of their
whispers and the faint sight I got of them now and then as they passed
an open place, I knew that they were boys.

A few minutes before I had felt excited and nervous; then I felt less
alarm. My first idea was to frighten them by shouting for the different
men about the place; but as soon as I was sure that they were boys, a
curiously pugnacious sensation came over me, and I determined to see if
I couldn't catch one of them and drag him up to Mr Solomon, for I felt
sure that I should only have one to fight with, the other would be sure
to run as hard as he could go.

I stopped short again with an unpleasant thought in my mind. Surely
this could not be Shock with some companion.

No, it could not be he, I felt sure, and I was rather ashamed of having
thought it as I crept on after the two thieves, so that I was quite near
them when, as I expected they would, they stopped by the little thick
heavily-laden trees.

"Look out! hold the bag and be quick," was whispered; and then there was
snapping of twigs, the rustling of leaves, and a couple of dull thuds as
two pears fell.

"Never mind them," was whispered in the same tone. "There's no end of
'em about."

I crept nearer with my teeth grinding together, for it seemed to be such
a shameful thing to clear those pears from the tree in that way, and
then I grew furious, for one