n upon the rock to wait till the intruder had passed.

The person approaching did not purpose to let him off so easily; and
when Harry heard his step on the log he raised himself up.

"Hallo, Harry! What are you doing here? Taking a nap?"

It was Ben Smart, a boy of fourteen, who lived near the poorhouse.
Ben's reputation in Redfield was not A, No. 1; in fact, he had been
solemnly and publicly expelled from the district school only three
days before by Squire Walker, because the mistress could not manage
him. His father was the village blacksmith, and as he had nothing for
him to do--not particularly for the boy's benefit--he kept him at
school all the year round.

"O, is that you, Ben?" replied Harry, more for the sake of being civil
than because he wished to speak to the other.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ben, who evidently did not understand
how a boy could be there alone, unless he was occupied about
something.

"Nothing."

"Been in the water?"

"No."

"Fishing?"

"No."

Ben was nonplussed. He suspected that Harry had been engaged in some
mysterious occupation, which he desired to conceal from him.

"How long have you been here?" continued Ben, persistently.

"About half an hour."

Ben stopped to think. He could make nothing of it. It was worse than
the double rule of three, which he conscientiously believed had been
invented on purpose to bother school boys.

"You are up to some trick, I know. Tell me what you come down here
for."

"Didn't come for anything."

"What is the use of telling that. No feller would come clear down here
for nothing."

"I came down to think, then, if you must know," answered Harry, rather
testily.

"To think! Well, that is a good one! Ain't the poor-farm big enough to
do your thinking on?"

"I chose to come down here."

"Humph! You've got the blues, Harry. I should think old Walker had
been afoul of you, by your looks."

Harry looked up suddenly, and wondered if Ben knew what had happened.

"I should like to have the old rascal down here for half an hour. I
should like to souse him into the river, and hold his head under till
he begged my pardon," continued Ben.

"So should I," added Harry.

"Should you? You are a good feller, then! I mean to pay him off for
what he did for me the other day. I wouldn't minded being turned out
of school. I rather liked the idea; but the old muttonhead got me up
before all the school, and read me such a lecture! He t