hy, it's all maggoty!" and
he threw the pear back with excellent aim; but it was deftly caught, and
returned in a way that would have won praise at cricket. Joe's aim was
excellent, too; but when a boy is supporting himself by resting his
elbows on the coping of a high stone-wall, he is in no position for
fielding either a pear or a ball. So the pear struck him full on the
front of the straw hat he wore, and down he went with a rush, while Gwyn
ran to the front of the wall, climbed up quickly, and looked over into
the lane, laughing boisterously.

"Got it that time, Joey," he cried.

"All right, I'll serve you out for it. Give us another pear."

The request was attended to, the fruit being hurled down, but it was
cleverly caught.

"Why this is maggoty, too."

"Well, I didn't put the maggots there; cut the bad out. The dropped
ones are all like that."

"Go and pick me a fresh one, then."

"Not ripe, and father does not like me to pick them. That's a beauty."

"Humph--'tain't bad. But I say, come on."

"What are you going to do?"

"Do?--why, didn't you say we'd go and have a good look at the old mine?"

"Oh, ah; so I did. I forgot."

"Come on, then. Old Hardock made my mouth water talking about it as he
did this morning."

"But we should want a rope, shouldn't we?"

"Yes. Let's get Jem Trevor to lend us one out of his boat."

"All right. I'll come round."

"Why not jump down?"

Gwyn gave a sharp look up and down the lane, but no one was in sight,
and he lightly threw his legs over, and dropped down beside his
companion.

"Don't want any of the boys to see that there's a way over here," he
said, "or we shall be having thieves. I say, Joe, father's been talking
about the old mine at breakfast."

"Then you told him what Captain Hardock said. I told my father, too."

"What did he say?"

Joe Jollivet laughed.

"Well, what are you grinning at? Why don't you speak?"

"Because you're such a peppery chap, and I don't want a row."

"Who's going to make a row? What did the Major say?"

"Sha'n't tell you."

"Who wants you to? It was something disrespectful of my father, and he
has no business to. My father's his superior officer."

"That he isn't. Your father was cavalry, and my father foot."

"And that makes it worse," said Gwyn, hotly. "Cavalry's higher than
infantry, and a major isn't so high as a colonel.--What did he say?"

"Oh, never mind. Come on."

"I know what he sai