afternoon, and served me a mean and shabby trick, I wouldn't do
such a thing as burn your property."

"Who went back on you?" demanded Donald.

"You did; when you could have saved me from being driven out of the
garden, you took the trouble to say, you did not invite me," replied
Laud, reproachfully.

"I didn't invite you; and I had no right to invite you."

"No matter for that; if you had just said that your friend, Mr.
Cavendish, had come in with you it would have been all right."

"My friend, Mr. Cavendish!" repeated Donald, sarcastically. "I didn't
know I had any such friend."

"I didn't expect that of you, after what I had done for you, Don John."

"Spill her on that tack! You never did anything for me."

"I took that boat off your hands, and I suppose you got a commission for
selling her. Wasn't that doing something for you?"

"No!" protested Donald.

"I have always used you well, and done more for you than you know of.
You wouldn't have got the job to build the Maud if it hadn't been for
me. I spoke a good word for you to Mr. Rodman," whined Laud.

"You!" exclaimed Donald, disgusted with this ridiculous pretension. "If
you said anything to Mr. Rodman about it, I wonder he didn't give the
job to somebody else."

"You think I have no influence, but you are mistaken; and if you insist
on quarrelling with me, you will find out, when it is too late, what
folks think of me."

"They think you are a ninny; and when they know what you did to-night,
they will believe you are a knave," replied Donald. "You didn't cover
your tracks so that I couldn't find them; and I can prove all I say. I
didn't think you were such a rascal before."

"You won't make anything out of that sort of talk with me, Don John,"
said Laud, mildly. "You provoke me to throw you overboard, but I don't
want to hurt you."

"I'll risk your throwing me overboard. I can take care of myself."

"I said I didn't want to hurt you, and I don't. I didn't set your boat
afire; I wouldn't do such a thing."

"You can tell that to Squire Peters to-morrow."

"You don't mean to say that you will prosecute me, Don John?"

"Yes; I do mean it."

"I came down from the harbor, and tacked between those two wharves,"
explained Laud. "I was standing off on this tack when you bunted your
skiff into me. That's all I know about it."

"But I saw you on the wharf. No matter; we won't argue the case here,"
said Donald, as he made a movement to go into his sk