re, sir. Bet a halfpenny as it was a ballast
cobble as was hev down."

"But it might have come down on you and killed you."

"Shouldn't wonder, sir."

"But you have no one with such a spite against you as to make him do
that?"

"Haven't I, Master Aleck? Why, bless your innocence, there's dozens as
would! I'd bet another halfpenny as that young beauty as I brought down
with my stick this mornin' felt quite sore enough to come and drop a
stone on my head. 'Sides, they've got a spite agen you, too, my lad,
and like as not Big Jem would try to sarve you out by making a hole
through your boat for leathering him as you did a fortnit ago."

"Tom!"

"Ah, you may shout `Tom!' till you're as hoarse as a bull, Master Aleck,
but that seems to be about the bearings of it; and now I think more on
it, that's about the course I means to steer. Two on 'em, you says as
you saw?"

"Yes, two biggish lads."

"Sculling hard?"

"Yes, the one who stood up in the boat was working the oar as hard as he
could."

"Which means as he was in a hurry, sir."

"It did seem like it, Tom."

"On a hot day like this here, sir. Boys, too, as wouldn't work a scull
if they warn't obliged. Why, they'd been and done it, and was cutting
away as hard as they could."

"It does look likely, Tom."

"That's it, sir. We've got the bearings of it now. It were Big Jem and
young Redcap, warn't it?"

"One of the boys had on a red cap, Tom. I remember now."

"Then don't you wherrit your head no more about it, Master Aleck. It
was them two as did it, and I shall put it down to their account."

"But we ought to be sure."

"Sure, sir? Why, we are sure, and they'll have to take it."

"Take _it_? Take what?"

"Physic, sir. Never you mind about it any more; you leave it to me.
It's physic as they've got to take when the time comes; and all I've got
to say is as I hopes they'll like it."

"Well, never mind that now, Tom. What about my boat?"

"Oh, I'll see about her at once. I'll stop and take care of her while
you go up to the houses on the cliff yonder, and you says as you have
had an accident with your boat and you wants Joney to come with a couple
o' mates to help. They'll come fast enough."

"Very well. Let's have a look first, though."

They stepped to the edge of the pier and looked down into the disabled
boat, while the water being still and as clear as crystal, they could
see through the broken thwart and the splintered j