two mortal hours. He threatened to sell the horses and the
hounds, and to put me at the plough, if I ever so much as looked
at the girl again--'gal,' he called her, and a 'brazen wench.'
That is the way he talks, you know."

"I know," Christopher nodded gravely.

"But the funny part is, that the thing that made him hottest was
your knocking over Fred Turner. That he simply couldn't stand.
Why, he'd have paid Fred fifty dollars down to thrash me black
and blue, he said. He called you--Oh, he has a great store of pet
names!"

"What?" asked Christopher, for the other caught himself up
suddenly.

"Nothing much--he's always doing it, you know."

"You needn't trouble yourself on my account. I'm familiar with
his use of words."

"Oh, he called you 'a crazy pauper who ought to be in gaol.'"

"He did, did he? Well, for once in his life he drew it mild."
Then he gave a long whistle and kicked away a rock in the path. "
"'A crazy pauper who ought to be in gaol.' I've a pretty
good-sized debt to settle with your grandfather, when I come to
think of it."

"Just suppose you were in my place now," insisted Will. "Then I