to carry him along with the force of his will, but all
the same there was a troublous feeling forcing itself upon him that he
had made a mistake, and he could not help a longing for his room at the
doctor's with its warm bed, comfort, safety, and repose.

But he knew it was too late, and he was too much hurried and confused to
do more than try to keep up with Bob Dimsted as he ran by his side
carrying the box till they had reached the meadow facing Sir James
Danby's garden; and there, just dimly seen across the river, was the low
gable-end of the boat-house beneath the trees.

"Hush! don't make a row," whispered Bob. "Now then, slip in and fetch
it. Why, you could almost jump it."

"But, Bob--I--I don't like to go. I'm so cold."

"I'll precious soon warm yer if you don't look sharp," cried Bob
fiercely. "Don't you try to make a fool of me. Now then, in with you!"

He had put the box down and gripped Dexter fiercely by the arm, causing
him so much pain that instead of alarming it roused the boy's flagging
spirit, and he turned fiercely upon his assailant, and wrested his arm
free.

"That's right," said Bob. "In with you. And be sharp, and then you can
dress yerself as we float down."

Dexter's instinct was to resist and give up, but he felt that he had
gone too far, and feeling that his companion might consider him a coward
if he refused to go, he lowered himself down into the water.

"That's yer sort," said Bob, in a loud whisper. "You'll soon do it."

"But suppose the chains are locked!"

"They won't be locked," said Bob. "You go acrost and see."

In the eager desire to get an unpleasant task done, Dexter let himself
glide down into the swift stream about a dozen yards above the
boat-house, and giving himself a good thrust off with his feet, he swam
steadily and easily across, the river there being about thirty yards
wide, and in a very short time he managed to touch the post at the outer
corner of the long low boat-house. Then, hardly knowing how he managed
it, he found bottom as his hand grasped the gunwale of the boat, and
walking along beside it he soon reached the chain which moored it to the
end.

Here in his excitement and dread it seemed as if his mission was to
fail. It was dark enough outside, but in the boat-house everything
seemed to be of pitchy blackness, and try how he would he could find no
way of unfastening the chain.

He tried toward the boat, then downwards, then upwards, a