daily toil upon the
treacherous waters, are always ready with their help, to give or take in
the brotherly way that has long been known in the fishing villages upon
the Cornish shores.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

DICK TEMPLE FINDS IT UNPLEASANT FOR ANOTHER TO LEARN TO SMOKE.

There was too much to do in seeing that Dick was not likely to suffer
from his long exposure for his father to say much to him that night.
But there was a little conversation between Dick and Arthur, who slept
in the same room.

It was after the candle was out, Arthur having received strict
injunctions to go quietly to bed and not disturb his brother, who was
said to be in a nice sleep and perspiring well.

This is what the doctor said, for he had been fetched and had felt
Dick's pulse. He had looked very grave and shaken his head, saying that
fever might supervene, and ended by prescribing a stimulus under another
name, and a hot bath.

"Just as if I hadn't sucked up water enough to last me for a month!"
Dick had said.

The people at the little hotel thought it unnecessary to send for a
doctor, and when he came the doctor thought so too; but he omitted to
make any remarks to that effect, contenting himself with looking very
grave, and treating Dick as if his was a very serious case indeed.

And now the patient was lying snugly tucked up in bed, with only his
nose and one eye visible, with the exception of a tuft of his hair, and
Arthur was undressing in the dark, and very carefully folding up his
clothes.

He had been deliberately undressing himself, brushing his hair, and
going generally through a very niggling performance for nearly half an
hour before Dick spoke, for the latter was enjoying the fun, as he
called it, "of listening to old Taff muddling about in the dark, instead
of jumping into bed at once."

At last, however, he spoke:

"I'm not asleep, Taff."

"Not asleep!" cried his brother. "What! haven't you been asleep?"

"No."

"What! not all the time I've been undressing?"

"No."

"Then it was very deceitful of you to lie there shamming."

"Didn't sham," said Dick.

"Yes, you did, and pretended that you were very ill."

"No, I didn't. I didn't want the doctor fetched."

"But why did you pretend to be asleep?"

"I didn't, I tell you. I only lay still and watched you fumbling about
and taking so long to undress."

"Oh, did you?" said Arthur haughtily. "Well, now lie still, sir, and go
to sleep. You are ill.