erse which he should not have heard. Instead, therefore, of
carrying out his original intention, he scrambled into the path with as
much noise as possible, and coughed, as he came awkwardly forward.

"Why, the wicked boy has been listening," cried Ada, laying her hand
upon the lad's shoulder, and looking sternly into his face.

"I have," said Alric bluntly.

"And art thou not ashamed?"

"I am," he replied, with a degree of candour in his self-condemnation
which caused Ada and Hilda to burst into a hearty fit of laughter.

"But," said Ada, becoming grave again, "thou hast heard too much for thy
good."

"I know it," he replied, "and I'm sorry, Ada, but cannot help it now.
This will I say, however: I had no wish or intention to hear when I hid
myself. My desire was only to startle thee and Hilda, and before I
thought what thou wert talking of the thing was out, and now I have got
it I cannot unget it."

"True, but thou canst keep it," said Ada.

"I can, and ye may rest assured no word or look of mine shall betray
thee. I'll even try to conceal it from myself, and think it was a
dream, unless, indeed, I see a good chance of helping thee in this
affair!"

Alric laughed as he said this, and the girls joined him, after which
they all went on towards Haldorstede together.

On reaching the place where Alric had intended to fish, Ada suggested
that he should go and try his fortune, so he ran down to the river, and
the girls followed him to the bank.

The spot selected was a rapid which terminated in a small and
comparatively quiet but deep pool. We say comparatively, because in the
state of the river at that time even in the quietest places there was
considerable commotion. Just below the pool the river opened out into a
broad shallow, over which it passed in noisy foam, but with little
depth, except in the centre. Below this, again, it narrowed, and formed
another deep pool.

Alric ran into the water till he was about knee-deep, and then plunged
his spear. Nothing resulted from the first plunge, but the effect of
the second was more tremendous than had ever before happened to the
young sportsman, for the pole of the trident received a twist so violent
that it would infallibly have been torn from the boy's grasp had he not
held on with the tenacity of a vice, and allowed himself to be dragged
bodily into the pool. As we have said, the pool was deep, but that was
nothing to Alric, who could swim like a duck.