els apron-wise over
our dripping bathing-suits, and draped the big bath-towels gracefully
over our shoulders, and then stalked as majestically as circumstances
permitted towards the noisy crowd, which resolved itself into its
component elements as we drew near.

The outer fringe consisted of excited and irrepressible small boys of
the town, who scampered round and round, shouting and dancing, and
cuffing one another, in sheer enjoyment of living and the knowledge that
something unusual was on foot. Inside them stood a number of the town
loafers, all facing in towards the centre of the ring, and laughing and
making jocular remarks to one another. Closer in still, came an excited
circle of our friends who, like the old ladies, ought to have been
living in the cottage, but were not. The irascible old gentleman was
there, purple in the face and swearing frightfully; the solicitor was
there, with a slightly anticipatory look in his face; the Strong Man was
there, and looked as if he wanted to break something; and closer in than
all these, forming a solid bodyguard of white flannels and laughing
faces and briar pipes, were our young friends from Oxford.

The three little old ladies, with their pugs in their arms, crept round
the revolving outskirts of the crowd, and joined my wife, who stood
wondering in the doorway, and began timidly questioning her as to the
meaning of the uproar.

Mr. Sawyer and I elbowed our way through the crowd, and the bodyguard
opened to let us into the circle.

In the centre stood a little, trembling meek, brown-eyed, crooked man.

"Scorer!" said I, "by all that's wonderful!"

[Illustration: "WE STALKED AS MAJESTICALLY AS OUR CIRCUMSTANCES
PERMITTED TOWARDS THE NOISY CROWD."]

"William!" said Sawyer.

"Jos---! No, by Jove! it is the other leg!"

"Now, William," said Mr. Sawyer, "what is the meaning of all this?"

The crooked little man's eyes brightened when he saw Mr. Sawyer.

"Mr. Sawyer, sir, I know no more than a babe unborn. I come in by the
10.30, and no sooner hadn't my foot touched the ground than these young
gentlemen they gathered round me and began a arskin' what I meant by it,
and then all them others came along. I dunno what's matter wi' em. Seems
to me they're all gone crazy."

"Where's Joseph?"

"Why, ain't he 'ere? I left him 'ere when I went into h--orspital; and
'e said 'e'd keep things all shipshape till I come out."

"Where did you find him? I thought he was away.