's son and
the wheelwright there, they saved my life last night."

"Hooray!" roared the leader of the gang frantically; and as his
companions cheered, he caught hold of Hickathrift's hand, and shook it
as earnestly as if they were sworn brothers.

"As to my wound," continued the engineer, "I believe it was an accident;
so now I ask you to go back home quietly, and good-night!"

"Well said, sir; good-night to you!" roared the leader as the window was
closed. "Good-night to everybody! Come on, lads! Good-night, young
un! We're good mates, eh?"

"Yes," said Dick, shortly.

"Then shake hands again. We don't bear no malice, do us? See, lads.
We're mates. I wean't laugh at you. You're a good un, that's what you
are, and you'll grow into a man."

The great fellow gave Dick's hand another shake that was very vigorous,
but by no means pleasant; and then, after three roaring cheers, the
whole party went off, striking up a chorus that went rolling over the
fen and kept on dying out and rising again as the great sturdy fellows
tramped away.

"I'm not an inhospitable man, doctor," said the squire, as the former
shook hands to go, after giving orders for his patient to be kept quiet,
and assuring the squire that the young fellow would be none the worse
for the adventures of the night--"I'm not an inhospitable man, but one
has to think twice before asking a hundred such to have a mug of ale. I
should have liked to do it, and it was on my lips, but the barrel would
have said no, I'm sure. Good-night!"

"Now, sir," said the squire as soon as he was alone with his son, "what
have you got to say for yourself?"

"Say, father!" replied Dick, staring.

"Yes, sir. Don't you think you did about as mad and absurd a thing as
the man who put his head into the lion's jaws?"

"I--I didn't know, father," replied Dick, who, after the exultation
caused by the cheering, felt quite crestfallen.

"No, of course you did not, but it was a very reckless thing to do,
and--er--don't--well, I hope you will never have cause to do it again."

Dick went away, feeling as if his comb had been cut, and of course he
did not hear his father's words that night when he went to bed.

"Really, mother, I don't know whether I felt proud of the boy or vexed
when he faced that great human ox."

"I do," said Mrs Winthorpe smiling, but with the tears in her
eyes--"proud."

"Yes, I think I did," said the squire. "Good-night!"

"Don't you think s