arled; "what's the good o' saying such a word as
that? He's a hidin' behind them reeds. Now, then, lad, days is short!
Coom out! I can see you!"

He looked in the direction of a patch of reeds and alders as he spoke,
and helped himself to a pill of opium from his box.

"Tom Tallington isn't there, Dave!" cried Dick. "I tell you there was a
bad fire at Grimsey last night!"

"Nay, lad, you don't mean it!" cried Dave, impressed now by the boy's
earnestness.

"There was! Look! you can see the smoke rising now."

Dave looked as the lad pointed, and then said softly:

"Hey! bud theer is the roke [smoke or vapour] sewer enough!"

"Didn't you see it last night?"

"Nay, lad; I fished till I couldn't see, for the baits, and then went
home and fitted the hooks on to the bands and see to the blethers, and
then I happed mysen oop and went to sleep."

"And heard and saw nothing of the fire?"

"Nay, I see nowt, lad. Two mile to my plaace from here and two mile
from here to Grimsey, mak's four mile. Nay, I heered nowt!"

"Of course you wouldn't, Dave! The light shone in at my window and woke
me up, and we were all there working with buckets to put it out!"

"Wucking wi' boockets!" said Dave slowly as he stared in the direction
of Tallington's farm. "Hey, but I wish I'd been theer!"

"I wish you had, Dave!"

"Did she blaaze much, mun?"

"Blaze! why, everything was lit up, and the smoke and sparks flew in
clouds!"

"Did it, though?" said Dave thoughtfully. "Now, look here, lad," he
continued, taking out his tobacco-box; "some on 'em says a man shouldn't
tak' his bit o' opium, and that he should smoke 'bacco. I say it's
wrong. If I smoked 'bacco some night I should set my plaace afire,
'stead o' just rolling up a bit o' stoof and clapping it in my mooth."

"I don't know what you mean, Dave," cried Dick.

"Then I'll tell'ee, lad. Some un got smoking his pipe in one of they
stables, and set it afire."

"No, no; some one must have set fire to the stacks."

"Nay!" cried Dave, staring in the lad's face with his jaw dropped.

"Yes; that was it, and father thinks it was."

"Not one o' the men, lad; nay, not one o' the men!" cried Dave.

"No, but some one who doesn't like the drain made, and that it was done
out of spite."

Dave whisked up his pole and struck with it at the water, sending it
flying in all directions, and then made a stab with it as if to strike
some one in the chest and drive him under w