off and forget all
about it."

"Not at all, sir!" contradicted Theo. "I was going to say I wished you
would keep on telling me about it until I got well and could go to see
some of these potteries and porcelains made."

"Oh-ho! So you want to come to Trenton and steal my business away from
me, do you, you young rascal? We'll see about that."

With a broad smile Mr. Croyden rose and shaking his fist playfully at
Theo sauntered out the door.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER VI

FROM VASES TO DRAIN-PIPES

During the week that followed neither Dr. Swift nor Mr. Croyden took
any more long trips away from the camp. They went, to be sure, on
short fishing excursions, often being absent an entire morning or
afternoon; but they passed no nights away from Theo. The boy suspected
that his father's reason for this decision was because for the last
few days try as he would he had been unable to conceal how miserable
and uncomfortable he felt. Dr. Swift, however, would not own that this
was the cause of his loitering at home. He merely declared that when
the near-at-hand sport was so good it was foolish to tramp ten miles
to waylay some unwary and distant trout. And indeed this logic
appeared to be sound, for not once did the anglers return from one of
their brief tours that they did not bring with them baskets well lined
with yellow perch, trout, or land-loch salmon.

As a consequence the Doctor managed to keep very close watch of his
son, and Theo saw a great deal both of his father and Mr. Croyden.

The friendship of the latter for the sick lad was no empty pose.

He sincerely liked Theo--liked his manliness and his intelligence; his
brave attempt at unselfishness; his boyish love of fun.

Mr. Croyden was very fond of boys and, in fact, often betrayed the
circumstance that in reality he himself had never really grown up.

Accordingly he sought Theo out whenever he had leisure, and many a
happy hour did the two spend together.

One day when he chanced to be sitting beside the invalid's couch Theo
said:

"You told me once that there were three famous potters in history, and
that Palissy was one of them; who were the others?"

"If I should tell you their names and nothing more about them it would
be only so much dry sawdust," was Mr. Croyden's reply. "The only
reason they were great was because of what they did; and that is a
long story."

"Too long to tell?"

"Too long to put in a nutshell."

"Wouldn'