Yes, Ned could give Muster Alick five minutes before he sped home to
Goody's for a warm meal, and likewise a bit of sleep; for the boy was
stiff, as well as starving, after his long, chill night on the water.

'I only wanted to say,' Alick hastily announced, 'that I'm game to go
with Jerry Blunt to-morrow morning, if you will let me know the hour
you mean to set off.'

'We thought of going pretty early,' said Ned slowly, after a pause of
hesitation. 'We wants to make a good long day of it. But--but, Muster
Alick, have ye told them up at the Bunk that ye're set on going with
us? I thought as ye said the tootor wouldn't 'low ye, and that Miss
Theedory backed him up. Didn't ye?' Ned eyed his companion with a
certain amount of stern suspicion as he put the questions.

One of Theo's class-boys himself, he had a genuine reverence for his
gentle teacher. There was nothing, the poor fisher-lad was wont to
tell himself, that he would not have dared or done for the sweet young
lady's sake. Her very gentleness and soft speech seemed to attract and
also subdue his rough nature, by force of contrast possibly.

'What on earth is that to you?' loftily demanded Alick, resenting both
the questions and the mention of his sister's name, as brothers will.

'Why, 'tis this to me!' rejoined Ned grimly, and standing square. 'I
ain't a-goin' to have Miss Theedory lookin' at me through an' through,
an' a-sayin', "Ned," she'll say, "why ever did'ee lead away my brother
to do wrong?" I couldn't stand that, muster!'

'What a born idiot you are, to talk in that way!' said Alick grandly.
'It's quite enough for you that I tell you I'm coming to-morrow; that's
all you've got to do with it. Oh, I say, Ned!'--he descended from his
pinnacle of dignity all in a hurry--'it has been such a lark! I told
you what a row we have had with old Price, and that I bowled him over.
But Geoff has actually given in. Theo--I mean my sister--talked him
into an apology--begging pardon, you know. But I stuck out, and held
my own. So old Price bowed me off the premises. You should have
really seen him do it!' ended Alick, with a laugh that had no merriment
whatever in it. Ned nodded. He readily comprehended that 'Muster
Alick' had held his own.

'And did he, did Muster Geoff reely ask parding?' he inquired
wonderingly, presently.

'Yes, he did!' Alick spoke shortly, for he resented strongly his
brother's disaffection from a bad cause. 'But what's m