The
old fellow flounced back to his ox-hide at once.

'"Man could learn obedience at least from that creature," said Eddi, a
little ashamed of himself. Christians should not curse. '"Don't begin to
apologise Just when I am beginning to like you," said Meon. "We'll leave
Padda behind tomorrow--out of respect to your feelings. Now let's go to
supper. We must be up early tomorrow for the whiting."

'The next was a beautiful crisp autumn morning--a weather-breeder, if I
had taken the trouble to think; but it's refreshing to escape from
kings and converts for half a day. We three went by ourselves in Meon's
smallest boat, and we got on the whiting near an old wreck, a mile or
so off shore. Meon knew the marks to a yard, and the fish were
keen. Yes--yess! A perfect morning's fishing! If a Bishop can't be a
fisherman, who can?' He twiddled his ring again. 'We stayed there a
little too long, and while we were getting up our stone, down came the
fog. After some discussion, we decided to row for the land. The ebb was
just beginning to make round the point, and sent us all ways at once
like a coracle.'

'Selsey Bill,' said Puck under his breath. 'The tides run something
furious there.'

'I believe you,' said the Archbishop. 'Meon and I have spent a good many
evenings arguing as to where exactly we drifted. All I know is we found
ourselves in a little rocky cove that had sprung up round us out of the
fog, and a swell lifted the boat on to a ledge, and she broke up beneath
our feet. We had just time to shuffle through the weed before the next
wave. The sea was rising. '"It's rather a pity we didn't let Padda go
down to the beach last night," said Meon. "He might have warned us this
was coming."

'"Better fall into the hands of God than the hands of demons," said
Eddi, and his teeth chattered as he prayed. A nor'-west breeze had just
got up--distinctly cool.

'"Save what you can of the boat," said Meon; "we may need it," and we
had to drench ourselves again, fishing out stray planks.'

'What for?' said Dan.

'For firewood. We did not know when we should get off. Eddi had flint
and steel, and we found dry fuel in the old gulls' nests and lit a
fire. It smoked abominably, and we guarded it with boat-planks up-ended
between the rocks. One gets used to that sort of thing if one travels.
Unluckily I'm not so strong as I was. I fear I must have been a trouble
to my friends. It was blowing a full gale before midnight. Eddi wrung