e his want of knowledge was shared by Fred and Scarlett, who,
after resuming their jerkins, took, one the pole, the other the coil of
neatly ringed rope, and trudged back to the Manor with Samson, who
delivered quite a discourse upon waste of time; but he did not return to
his digging, contenting himself with extracting his spade from the
ground, wiping it carefully, and hanging it up in his tool-house, close
to the lanthorn.

"Going home, Master Scarlett?" said Samson.

"Yes, directly."

"Won't have a mug o' cider, I suppose?"

"No, thank ye, Samson."

"Because I thought Master Fred was going to fetch some out, and you
could have a drop too."

"Hark at him, Scar! There never was such a fellow for cider."

"Oh yes, there was; but I've yearned it anyhow to-day."

"So you have, and I'll fetch you a mug," said Fred, darting off.

"Ah, that's better," grunted Samson. "Never such a fellow for cider!
Why, my brother's a deal worse than I am, and you wouldn't ketch him
leaving his work to take all the trouble I did to-day, Master Scarlett.
Hah! here he comes back. Thank ye, Master Fred, lad. Hah! what good
cider. Puzzle your Nat to make such stuff as that."

"He says ours is better," said Scarlett.

"Let him, sir; but that don't make it better."

"Bother the old cider! Who cares?" cried Fred. "Look here, Samson,
don't say a word to anybody about our having found that hole."

"No, sir; not I."

"Why did you tell him that!" said Scarlett, as they walked away.

"I don't know," said Fred, starting.

"Perhaps I thought we ought not to tell, in case we wanted to hide some
day."

"Hide! What from whom from!"

"I don't know," said Fred again, as he looked in a puzzled way at his
companion; and then they parted. Fred felt that he should have liked to
have told his friend why he wished the discovery to be kept a secret,
but the puzzled feeling grew more intense, and when at last he dismissed
it, he was obliged to own that he did not know himself any more than
when he spoke.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

FRED TAKES A JUMP.

The adventure in the Rill cave was talked about for a few days, and
several plans were made for its further exploration; but, in spite of
the talking, no further visit was made in that direction.

"You see, we ought to get a boat," Fred said, "and row right to the
mouth, and go in that way next time, and we haven't got a boat."

"And no likelihood of getting one," said Scarlett, thoughtfu