zled. Nothing was easier than to stop it for the present, which of
course he ran at once to do; but where was he to send it?

Thinking over it, however, he remembered that just on the other side of
the wall was the stable where his father's horses lived, close to the
parson's garden; and in the corner, at the foot of the wall, was a
drain; so that all he had to do was to fit another spout to this, at
right angles to it, and carry it over the wall.

"You needn't take any water up for me tonight, Tibby," he said, as he
went in to supper, for he had already filled his bath.

"Nonsense, Willie," returned Tibbie, still out of temper because of the
mess at the door. "Your papa says you must have your bath, and my poor
old bones must ache for 't."

"The bath's filled already. If you put in one other pailful, it'll run
over when I get into it."

"Now, don't you play tricks with _me_, Willie. I won't have any more of
your joking," returned Tibbie.

Nettled at the way she took the information with which he had hoped to
please her, he left her to carry up her pail of water; but it was the
last, and she thanked him very kindly the next day.

The only remaining question was how to get rid of the bath-water. But
he soon contrived a sink on the top step of the stair outside the door,
which was a little higher than the wall of the stable-yard. From there a
short pipe was sufficient to carry that water also over into the drain.

I may mention, that although a severe winter followed, the Prior's Well
never froze; and that, as they were always either empty, or full of
_running_ water, the pipes never froze, and consequently never burst.

CHAPTER XVI.

HECTOR HINTS AT A DISCOVERY.

The next day after Hector's visit, Willie went to see how he was, and
found him better.

"I certainly am better," he said, "and what's more, I've got a strange
feeling it was that drink of water you gave me yesterday that has done
it. I'm coming up to have some more of it in the evening, if you'll give
it me."

"As much of it as _you_ can drink, Hector, anyhow," said Willie. "You
won't drink _my_ cow dry."

"I wonder if it could be the water," said Hector, musingly.

"My father says people used to think it cured them. That was some
hundreds of years ago; but if it did so then, I don't see why it
shouldn't now. My mother is certainly better, but whether that began
since we found the well, I can't be very sure. For Tibbie--she is always