ke out."

"When? What about?"

"When I was sent back to take care of those nasty old lanterns. But it
serves you right. If I'd been there at the fight you wouldn't have been
hurt like that."

"And perhaps you'd have been killed. Get out, you ungrateful dog!"

"Dog, am I? Well, it's enough to make me bite."

"Bite away, then, Dummy. I can't lift my arm to hit you now."

"Then I'll wait till you get well again. But it was mean. I never seem
to get a chance."

"Well, you are a grumbler, Dummy. Here, you've done what none of us
could do--shown us how to end all this trouble, and pleased everybody,
and yet you're not happy."

"Happy?" said the boy; "who's to be happy after what I've done? Why, I
shan't never dare to come past Ergles now in the dark."

"Why?"

"'Cause old Purlrose and his men'll come popping out to haunt me for
getting 'em killed. I shall never like to come by there again."

"They won't come out this way, Dum," said Mark, trying to look very
serious; "they'll come the other way, and get into the mine to lie in
wait for you in the dark parts, and heave blocks of stones at you."

"Think they will, Master Mark?" gasped the boy, and his eyes and mouth
opened wide.

"Sure to."

"Get out: you're laughing at me."

"I'm more disposed to cry; to think of such a stout, brave lad as you
should believe such nonsense."

"Nonsense?" cried Dummy. "What, don't you be--believe in ghosts and
bor--bogies, Master Mark?"

"Do I look as if I did?" cried Mark contemptuously. "You wait till I
get well, and if you tell me then that you believe in such silly old
women's tales, I'll kick you."

Dummy grinned.

"You wouldn't," he said. "But I say, Master Mark, think old Purlrose
will haunt me?"

"Bah!" ejaculated Mark. "There, come along; I want to get home and let
Master Rayburn do something to my bit of a wound. It hurts so I can
hardly walk."

"Here, let me carry you, Master Mark. Pig-a-back. I can."

"No, no, Dummy, old lad; but you come to the castle to-morrow, and say
you are to walk up and see me. I shall have to be put to bed, I expect,
in the same room with young Ralph Darley."

"Then I shan't come," said the boy, scowling.

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't like him, and I don't like to see his father and their
girl took there as if they were friends."

"They are now, Dum, and there isn't going to be any more fighting in the
vale."

It was a strange scene when the slow procession