ive, so
fidgety was he, and as soon as ever I pointed to six he bounced out of
bed as if he was shot.

"What are you up to, getting up at this time?" growled Jim, who, much to
the mutual delight of the boys, slept in the same room with Charlie.

"Oh, you know; I don't want to be behindhand," replied Charlie.

"Behindhand! Why, do you know it's only just six?"

"I know that, and I mean to make the most of my holiday. I say, Jim,
what do they want to give us a holiday for, do you know?"

"They don't want to at all; they've got to."

"Got to? What do you mean?" inquired Charlie, dragging on his boots.

And then Jim, with many yawns and growls, told him the story; and,
without waiting for his comments thereon, rolled over and went off to
sleep again.

Charlie spent his early hour in polishing up things generally. When he
had polished up his rod with the lance-wood top, he polished up his
green can and his hooks. Then he warmed me up with a piece of wash-
leather, and then his many-fanged knife.

By the time these little jobs were accomplished, and Joe's study put in
order, the breakfast bell sounded, and he went down with a mouth sore
with whistling.

He caught sight of Tom Drift at another table, and nodded and waved his
green can to him; he informed every boy within hearing distance that it
was certain to be a fine day, whatever it looked like now; and he made
the wildest and most indiscriminate promises to entertain his whole
acquaintance at no end of a trout supper on the spoils of that day's
sport. Twenty times during breakfast did he pull me out and look
impatiently at my minute-hand slowly making its way from eight to nine;
and as soon as ever the meal was over he rushed upstairs like mad for
his rod and bag, and then tore down again four steps at a time, nearly
knocking the head master over at the bottom.

"Gently, my man," said that gentleman, recognising in this cannon-ball
of a young fellow his little travelling companion. "Why, what's the
matter?"

"I beg your pardon, doctor," said Charlie; "did I hurt you?"

"Not a bit. So you are going to fish to-day?"

"Yes, sir," said the beaming Charlie. "I say, sir, do you think it'll
be a fine day?"

"I hope so--good-bye. I suppose this can will be full when you come
back?"

"Good-bye, sir," said Charlie, secretly resolving that if fortune
favoured him he would present the two finest of his trout to the doctor.

He found Drift ready for him