in spite of his
protests and the money he had left behind.

And all the time to make his trip more pleasant he had to suffer from
jarring blows upon the spine, given by the top of Bob's oar.

In nearly every case this was intentional, and Bob chuckled to himself,
as with the customary outburst of his class he began to abuse his
companion.

"Why don't yer mind and keep time!" he cried. "Who's to row if you go
on like that? I never see such a stoopid."

"All right, Bob, I'll mind," said Dexter, with all the humility of an
ignorance which kept him from knowing that as he was rowing stroke Bob
should have taken his time from him.

The blows on the back had two good effects, however: they gratified Bob,
who had the pleasure of tyrannising over and inflicting pain upon his
comrade, while Dexter gained by the rapid increase of warmth, and was
most likely saved from a chill and its accompanying fever.

Still that night trip was not pleasant, for when Bob was not grumbling
about the regularity of Dexter's stroke, he had fault to find as to his
pulling too hard or not hard enough, and so sending the head of the boat
toward the right or left bank of the stream. In addition, the young
bully kept up a running fire of comment on his companion's shortcomings.

"I never see such a mate," he said. "No money and no clothes. I say,"
he added at the end of one grumbling fit, "what made you want to run
away!"

"I don't know," said Dexter sadly. "I suppose it was because you
persuaded me."

"Oh, come, that's a good un," said Bob. "Why, it was you persuaded me!
You were always wanting to go away, and you said we could take Danby's
boat, and go right down to the sea."

"No!" protested Dexter; "it was you said that."

"Me!" cried Bob. "Oh, come, I like that, 'pon my word I do. It was you
always begging of me to go, and to take you with me. Why, I shouldn't
never have thought of such a thing if you hadn't begun it."

Dexter was silent, and now getting thoroughly warm he toiled on with his
oar, wondering whether Bob would be more amiable when the day came, and
trying to think of something to say to divert his thoughts and make him
cease his quarrelsome tone.

"I never see such a mate," growled Bob again. "No money, no clothes!
why, I shall have to keep yer, I s'pose."

"How long will it take us to get down to the sea, Bob?" said Dexter at
last.

"I d'know. Week p'r'aps."

"But we shall begin fishing before then,