an old woman he'll back out."

"But--"

"Get out! Don't say but. There, we won't go out far, only to the mouth
there by the buoy, and we can catch plenty of fish without any trouble
at all."

I gave way--I couldn't help it, and we two went on, so that when Bigley
came with the baskets and lines we were waiting for them, and his
scruples were nearly overcome.

"Think it will matter if we take the boat?" he said dubiously, for he
evidently shared our longing to go.

I said no, I did not think it would, for we could clean it out after we
had done fishing, and we had been boating so often with other people
that I for one felt quite equal to the management of the little vessel.

But all the time there was a curious sensation of wrong-doing worrying
me, and I wished that I had not been so ready to agree. It was as if I
felt the impression of trouble that was coming; but I kept the feeling
to myself.

"Well," said Bigley, "I did mean to ask for leave."

"Of course you did," cried Bob Chowne; "but as your father is off you
can't. Come along, boys, and let's get a good haul this time."

He seized the bait-basket and made the shells of the mussels rattle as
he trotted down towards where the little five-pointed anchor or grapnel
lay on the beach, and began to haul in the boat.

As the light buoyant vessel came gliding over the smooth surface, and
grated and bumped against and over the stones, the thoughts of whether
we were doing right or wrong grew faint, and then, as the bait-basket
was thrown in, and the lines followed, they were forgotten.

"In with you, lads!" cried Bob, making a spring, and leaping from a dry
stone right into the boat; but his feet slipped, and he came down
sitting in the basket of mussels with an unpleasant crash.

"Now, look here!" he cried in a passion, "if you fellows laugh at me I
won't go."

Of course this made us all the more disposed; but we turned our backs
and went down upon our knees to begin seeing to the hooks upon one of
the reeled-up lines.

"There, you are laughing both of you!" cried Bob, who was easing the
pain he felt, or thought he was, by lifting up and setting down first
one leg and then the other.

"That we are not!" I cried, and certainly our faces were serious
enough, as we hurriedly popped the lines over the bows, when I jumped
in, and, catching up the little grapnel, Bigley took one big stride with
his long legs, and was on the gunwale, which went down nearl