little thing,' said Justin, rather crossly. 'I don't
suppose she's ever wanted anything that she didn't get.'

'She's not spoilt,' said Pat. 'Several of the books she bought with her
own money, that she'd saved up on purpose. She told me so.'

'I wonder if it's something like that she's saving for now,' said Justin
quickly. 'I've a good mind to ask her. It wouldn't hurt her to wait a
little while to buy a book, and then she could lend me the money. She
might have done worse than offer it already, when she heard that we were
short of some.'

'Don't say "we," if you please,' replied Pat. 'I don't want to have
anything more to do with your nasty animals, and I think it would be
horribly mean to borrow from a girl.'

'Yes,' chimed in Archie, 'I wonder you can think of such a thing, Jus.'

'I'd pay her interest,' said Justin indignantly, 'a penny a month on
each shilling. That would be awfully high interest, I know.'

'She wouldn't want your interest,' said Pat. 'She'd want her own money,
and I'd be ashamed of you if you borrowed it from her.'

Justin made no reply, and they walked on in silence till they came to
the point at which they had to choose their way home.

'I'm going back by the moor,' said Justin abruptly.

'I'm not then,' said Pat, marching straight on as he spoke, Archie, as
often happened, standing wavering between the two, for he loved to keep
on good terms with everybody. But this time his sympathy was decidedly
with Pat, and he was much relieved when Justin called out to him, not
too amiably, that he didn't want him.

'I'd rather go by myself, and manage my own affairs,' he called out,
walking off without replying to Archie's good-natured reminder not to be
very long, and then the younger boy ran on to overtake Pat.

The two boys were glad they had kept to the road, for when they reached
their own door they were met by Hec, who told them that their mother had
been wondering why they were so late.

'Where's Jus?' he added. 'Papa wanted him for something or other.'

'He's coming round the other way,' said Archie, and as he spoke his
father looked out of his study door, and caught the words. He looked
annoyed.

'When you go out together, I expect you to come home together,' he said.
'How did you two come?'

'By the road,' said Pat.

'Then that means that Justin is coming by the moor. I hope he doesn't
see too much of that Crag boy; I don't hear any too good an account of
him. I must speak t