laughed.

"But I just give him fair warning, Master Tom, that if he comes after my
ribstons and Maria Louisas this year--"

"Did he come last year?" said Tom eagerly.

"Never you mind that, Master Tom. I don't say as he did, and I don't
say as he didn't; but I will say this, and swear to it: them Maria
Louisas on the wall has got eyes in their heads, and stalks as does for
tails, but I never see one yet as had legs."

"Nor I neither, David," said Tom, laughing.

"No, sir; but all the same they walked over the wall and out into the
lane somehow. So did lots of the ribstons and my king pippins. But
tchah! it's no use to say nought to your uncle. If somebody was to come
and steal his legs I don't b'lieve he'd holler `Stop thief!' but when it
comes to my fruit, as I'm that proud on it grieves me to see it picked,
walking over the wall night after night, I feel sometimes as it's no
good to prune and train, and manoor things."

"Ah, it must be vexatious, David!"

"Waxashus is nothing to it, sir. I tell you what it is, sir: it's made
me wicked, that it has. There's them times when I've been going to
church o' Sundays, and seen that there Pete Warboys and two or three
other boys a-hanging about a corner waiting till everybody's inside to
go and get into some mischief. I've gone to my seat along with the
singers, sir, and you may believe me when I tell you, I've never heered
a single word o' the sarmon, but sat there seeing that chap after my
pears and apples all the time."

"Then you do give Pete Warboys the credit of it, David?"

"No, I don't, sir. I won't 'cuse nobody; but what I do say is this,
that if ever I'm down the garden with a rake or hoe-handle in my hand,
and Pete Warboys comes over the wall, I'll hit him as hard as I can, and
ask master afterwards whether I've done right."

"David," said Tom eagerly, "how soon will the pears be ripe?"

"Oh, not for long enough yet, sir; and the worst of it is, if you're
afraid of your pears and apples being stole, and picks 'em soon, they
s'rivels up and has no taste in 'em."

"Then we must lie in wait for whoever it is, when the fruit is ripe, and
catch them."

David shut both of his eyes tight, wrinkled his face up, and shook
himself all over, then opened his eyes again, nodded, and whispered
solemnly--

"Master Tom, we just will."

Then he went off to the loading of the iron, saw the last load carted
out, and was back ready, after shutting the gate, to