he would be unable to carry out his favorite
pursuits.

"Hargate," Ruthven, who was one of the oldest of the House boys, and
was about Frank's age, that is about fifteen years old, said a few days
after the match, "the Doctor has given Handcock and Jones and myself
leave to take a boat and go out this afternoon. We mean to start soon
after dinner, and shall take some lines and bait with us. We have got
leave till lockup, so we shall have a long afternoon of it. Will you
come with us?"

"Thank you, Ruthven," Frank said; "I should like it very much, but you
know I'm short of pocket money, and I can't pay my share of the boat, so
I would rather leave it alone."

"Oh, nonsense, Hargate!" Ruthven answered; "we know money is not your
strong point, but we really want you to go with us. You can manage a
boat better than any of us, and you will really oblige us if you will go
with us."

"Oh, if you put it in that way," Frank said, "I shall be glad to go
with you; but I do not think," he went on, looking at the sky, "that the
weather looks very settled. However, if you do not mind the chance of a
ducking, I don't."

"That's agreed then," Ruthven said; "will you meet us near the pier at
three o'clock?"

"All right. I'll be punctual."

At the appointed hour the four lads met on the beach. Ruthven and his
companions wanted to choose a light rowing boat, but Frank strongly
urged them to take a much larger and heavier one. "In the first place,"
he said, "the wind is blowing off shore, and although it's calm here
it will be rougher farther out; and, unless I'm mistaken, the wind is
getting up fast. Besides this it will be much more comfortable to fish
from a good sized boat."

His comrades grumbled at the extra labor which the large boat would
entail in rowing. However, they finally gave in and the boat was
launched.

"Look out, Master Hargate," the boatman said as they started; "you'd
best not go out too far, for the wind is freshening fast, and we shall
have, I think, a nasty night."

The boys thought little of the warning, for the sky was bright and
blue, broken only by a few gauzy white clouds which streaked it here
and there. They rowed out about a mile, and then laying in their oars,
lowered their grapnel and began to fish. The sport was good. The fish
bit freely and were rapidly hauled on board. Even Frank was so absorbed
in the pursuit that he paid no attention to the changing aspect of the
sky, the increasing r