f the next
bucket.

"Because I'm so soft and don't hurt his feet."

"Don't let it drop out, mates," cried the gardener, who was on the other
side of the well, turning one winch. "Hold tight now you have got him.
Do you know what it is?"

"No," replied Wrench; "but I think by the feel of it when I got it
slithered into the bucket that it must be an old brick out of the side
somewhere."

"Yah! Not it!" said the gardener. "I'll tell you what it is: it's that
big old tom-cat of the Doctor's that used to be about the garden and was
always scratching up my young plants. He was missing four or five years
ago, and I dare say he got into the top bucket to curl up for a nap one
night, and went down in it and was drowned."

"If it is," said Wrench, "he's got to be pretty heavy with soaking up so
much water down below. Maybe you know better than that how it was he
did get drowned and left off scratching up your plants."

As the man said these words little Burton gave quite a jump, and made a
peculiar sound.

"Here," said Glyn quietly, "what are you starting at? Did you think I
was going to pretend to push you in?"

"N-n-no," said the little fellow in a peculiar tone.

"What are you laughing at?" said Glyn, tightening his hold on the boy's
shoulders.

The little fellow squirmed.

"It--it--it--it--it,"--he stuttered--"it does tickle me so!"

"There, there! Steady, steady!" said Glyn. "No nonsense, or I shall
send you out of the well-house."

"No, no; please don't, Severn," whispered the boy excitedly. "Let me
stay, please. I do so want to see."

"Very well, then, only no games now," and in rather a hopeless way,
feeling as he did that there would be no morocco case and belt brought
up this time, Glyn patiently waited till from out of the darkness the
bucket came into sight, was wound up till it was well within reach, a
thump and a scraping noise coming echoing up from the bottom to announce
that its fellow had reached the end of its journey, and Wrench cried out
"Wo--ho!" for the gardener to hold on tightly by the handle and prevent
the heavy bucket running down again.

"Why, Crumpets!" cried Wrench, "what in the world have we got here?"
while Burton reached both hands back behind him so as to get a good grip
at the lapels of Severn's jacket, and began to dance with delight.

"Why, it's a cricket-bat!" cried Wrench. "Hanging over the side of the
bucket by a string tied round the handle!"

At this Bur