egan to think that he had been too precipitate in
accepting Nick Holden's offer.

If he should sacrifice, or sell at an utterly inadequate price, any
article belonging to the boy whom he considered his ward, he knew that
he would be blamed, and he began to consider how he could recede from
the bargain.

"Nicholas," he said, "I didn't exactly sell the violin to you. I will
ascertain what is a fair price for it, and then I will consider your
proposal."

"You sold it right out, squire," said Nick, "and I can prove it. Didn't
you just say it was mine. There, now!"

Nick turned triumphantly to Frank and Phil, but, for very good reasons,
they did not care to side with him.

"I say, you haven't treated me right," persisted Nick, who had no
particular respect nor veneration for the squire, and was not to be
deterred from speaking as he felt. "I offered you two-fifty, and you
said I should have it, and you got me to call at your house to come here
for it."

"I cannot sacrifice the property of my ward," said Squire Pope. "I must
ascertain how much the violin is worth."

"A bargain is a bargain, every time!" said Nick, irritated.

"I will let you have it as cheap as anybody," said the squire, who
thought it possible that Nick might be the only one who desired to
purchase it. "That ought to satisfy you. Philip, go and bring me
the violin, and I will carry it home and dispose of it to the best
advantage."

"You must excuse me, Squire Pope. I shall not let it leave my
possession." Just then Squire Pope espied Mr. Dunbar returning from the
village, and hailed him as a probable ally. He laid the matter before
him, and requested him to compel Philip to get the violin.

"You must excuse me, squire," said Mr. Dunbar coldly. "Philip is my
guest, and he shall be protected in his rights as long as he remains
here."

Without a word, Squire Pope walked off, in angry discomfiture, in one
direction, while Nick, equally dissatisfied, walked off in another.

"They don't seem happy!" said Frank slyly.

"I wish I knew where it was going to end," returned Philip gravely.

"It seems to me," said Frank, "the squire is making a great fuss about a
fiddle, for a man of his dignity."

"He doesn't care about the violin. He wants to have his own way," said
Philip, thus hitting the nail on the head.

CHAPTER VII. MR. JOE TUCKER

Before going further, I will introduce to the reader, a citizen of
Norton, who filled a position for