"Oh, there's a whacker!" cried East; "we haven't been within a hundred
yards of his barn; we haven't been up here above ten minutes, and we've
seen nothing but a tough old guinea-hen, who ran like a greyhound."

"Indeed, that's all true, Holmes, upon my honour," added Tom; "we
weren't after his fowls; the guinea-hen ran out of the hedge under our
feet, and we've seen nothing else."

"Drat their talk. Thee catch hold o' t'other, Willum, and come along wi
'un."

"Farmer Thompson," said Holmes, warning off Willum and the prong with
his stick, while Diggs faced the other shepherd, cracking his fingers
like pistol shots, "now listen to reason--the boys haven't been after
your fowls, that's plain."

"Tells 'ee I see'd 'em. Who be you, I should like to know?"

"Never you mind, Farmer," answered Holmes. "And now I'll just tell you
what it is--you ought to be ashamed of yourself for leaving all that
poultry about, with no one to watch it, so near the School. You deserve
to have it all stolen. So if you choose to come up to the Doctor with
them, I shall go with you, and tell him what I think of it."

The farmer began to take Holmes for a master; besides, he wanted to get
back to his flock. Corporal punishment was out of the question, the odds
were too great; so he began to hint at paying for the damage. Arthur
jumped at this, offering to pay anything, and the farmer immediately
valued the guinea-hen at half-a-sovereign.

"Half-a-sovereign!" cried East, now released from the farmer's grip;
"well, that is a good one! the hen ain't hurt a bit, and she's seven
years old, I know, and as tough as whipcord; she couldn't lay another
egg to save her life."

It was at last settled that they should pay the farmer two shillings,
and his man one shilling, and so the matter ended, to the unspeakable
relief of Tom, who hadn't been able to say a word, being sick at heart
at the idea of what the Doctor would think of him: and now the whole
party of boys marched off down the footpath towards Rugby. Holmes, who
was one of the best boys in the School, began to improve the occasion.
"Now, you youngsters," said he, as he marched along in the middle of
them, "mind this; you're very well out of this scrape. Don't you go near
Thompson's barn again; do you hear?"

Profuse promises from all, especially East.

"Mind, I don't ask questions," went on Mentor, "but I rather think some
of you have been there before this after his chickens. Now, kno