you doubted my word."

"Ned said you had gone out fishing, but that you promised to be back for
breakfast," she replied, "it has been over half an hour or more, and the
things have been cleared away, so you must be content with a mug of milk
and a piece of bread. The teapot was emptied, and we can't be brewing
any more for you."

"Thank you, aunt. I must, as you say, be content with the mug of milk
and piece of bread you offer me," I said, with a demure countenance,
glad to escape any questioning. "I shall have a better appetite for
dinner, when I hope you will allow these fish to be cooked, and I fancy
that you will find them very good, I have seldom caught finer."

"Well, well, go in and get off your dirty shoes, you look as if you had
been wading into the pond, and remember to be home in good time another
day. While I manage the household, I must have regularity; the want of
it throws everybody out, though your father and mother do not seem to
care about the matter."

Glad to escape so easily, I hurried away. My father had gone out to
visit a sick person who had sent for him. My brothers and sisters were
engaged in their various studies and occupations, and my mother was
still in her room. Jane, the maid, by Aunt Deb's directions, brought me
the promised mug of milk and piece of bread, and I, without complaint,
ate a small piece of the one, and drank up the contents of the other,
and then said I had had enough, and could manage to go on until
dinner-time. It did not strike me at the time that I was guilty of any
deception, though I really was; but I was afraid if I mentioned my visit
to Roger Riddle's cottage, the rest of my adventures in the morning
would come out, and so said nothing about the matter.

When my father came home, I told him that I was sorry for being so late,
but considering the fine basket of fish I had brought home, it would add
considerably to the supply of provisions for the family, and hoped he
would not be angry with me.

"No, Dick, I am not angry," he said, "but Aunt Deb likes regularity, and
we are in duty bound to yield to her wishes."

"I wish that Aunt Deb were at Jericho," I muttered to myself, "and I
should not have minded saying the same thing aloud to my brothers and
some of my sisters, for we most of us were heartily tired of her
interference with all family arrangements, and were frequently on the
verge of rebellion, but my father paid her so much deference, that we