so precious hungry."

Arthur sat unmoved, making no effort to dress, and Dick, who was nearly
complete, wanting only his jacket, turned to him once more.

"Come on, Taff," he cried. "Get dressed, and let's find some anemones,
and put in a tub of salt-water. We can feed 'em on shrimps."

"I wish we were back in london," said Arthur bitterly.

"What! to have the fellows shouting `sweep!' and the girls beating the
mats and knocking their brooms against the area railings as you're
dressing. No, thank you. I like being here. Oh, I say, how lovely old
Mr Marion's flowers smell! Here's a lugger! Hi, Will, what boat's
that?"

"The _Grey Gull_, Thomson's boat," came up from the garden. "Been out
all night for pilchards. I'll go down and get some for bait."

"I never saw a pilchard," said Arthur, suddenly beginning to dress.

"Look sharp, then, and we'll go down and have a look. Here, I shall go
now. You can come on."

"That's always the way," said Arthur bitterly. "You never will wait for
me."

"I will now, then," cried Dick. "Look sharp;" and he went and leaned
his elbows on the window, to gaze out at the lovely opalescent mist
through which, looking huge in proportion, a brown-sailed lugger came
creeping over the steely sea, which shone and glanced wherever the sun
passed through the heavy mist. The men on the lugger looked huge, and
it was evident from the shouts from the pier and the responses that
there was some little excitement going on about the new arrival, but
what it was Dick was too distant to hear.

"Oh, do make haste, Taff!" he cried, glancing back to see with
satisfaction that his brother was now making good speed; "there's no end
of fun going on. I've never seen a pilchard yet. There's Will Marion
down there, and--oh, I say, what a shame to go down without us! There
goes father!"

Arthur's toilet proceeded by big strides now, and it was not long
before, looking a good deal more amiable, he declared himself ready, and
was in fact so ready that he raced with his brother down to the cliff--
rather a breakneck proceeding, considering the steepness of the way; but
they got down to the harbour in safety, and to Dick's delight he found
that the lugger was not yet in, the progress by means of her sweeps
having been very slow, and now for the first time he noticed that she
was extremely deep in the water.

"A be glad you've come, Master Diehard," said a voice behind them; and
there stood J