pened ee?" his brother asked.

"Oi've had a fight and hurted myself, and broke my leg; but it wa'nt
that chap's fault; it were a vair voight, and a right good 'un he be.
Doan't do nowt to him."

"Well, that's roight enough then," the man said, "and you two young 'uns
can go whoam. Marsden lies over that way; thou wilt see it below ye when
ye gets to yon rock over there; and moind what I told ee."

"I will," Ned said earnestly; "but do let me come up to see how he is
getting on, I shall be so anxious to know."

The man hesitated, but the lad said, "Let um coom, John, he bee a roight
good un."

"Well, if thou would'st like it, Bill, he shall coom."

"If thou coom oop to Varley and ask vor Bill Swinton, anyone will show
ee the place."

"Goodby," Ned said to the boy, "I am so sorry you have got hurt. I will
come and see you as soon as I can."

Then he and Tompkins set off toward the rock the man had pointed out,
which by this time, in the fast growing darkness, could scarce be made
out. They would indeed probably have missed it, for the distance was
fully a mile and a half; but before they had gone many yards one of the
four men passed by them on a run on his way down to Marsden to summon
the parish doctor, for a moment's examination had sufficed to show them
that the boy's injury was far too serious to treat by themselves.

Tired as the boys were, they set off in his footsteps, and managed to
keep him in sight until they reached the spot whence Marsden could be
seen, and they could no longer mistake the way.

"Now, look here, Tompkins," Ned said as they made their way down the
hill; "don't you say a word about this affair. You haven't got much to
boast about in it, sitting there on the grass and doing nothing to help
me. I shan't say anything more about that if you hold your tongue; but
if you blab I will let all the fellows know how you behaved."

"But they will all notice my nose directly I get in," Tompkins said.
"What am I to say?"

"Yes, there's no fear about their not noticing your nose," Ned replied.
"I don't want you to tell a lie. You can say the exact truth. We were
coming home across the moors; a boy interfered with us, and would not
let us pass; we both pitched into him, and at last he got the worst of
it, and we came home."

"But what's the harm of saying that you and he fell, and he broke his
leg?"

"A great deal of harm," Ned replied. "If it was known that a boy's leg
got broke in a fight w