re long a strong dam was made across, to prevent the entrance of the
sea-water; the drain was emptied, and while one gang was engaged in
taking down the ruined side of the gowt, the rest of the men went on
with the delving, as if nothing had happened, and the dike increased.

Dick and Tom were down at the works directly after breakfast, but Mr
Marston took very little notice of them, and it seemed to Dick that the
engineer shared the squire's doubts.

The consequence was, that, being a very natural boy, who, save when at
school, had led rather a solitary life, finding companionship in Tom
Tallington and the grown-up denizens of the fen, Dick, who was by no
means a model, turned sulky, and shrank within his metaphorical shell.

"I sha'n't go begging him to talk to me if he doesn't like," he said to
Tom; "and if my father likes to believe I would do such things I shall
go."

"Go where?" said Tom, looking at him wonderingly.

"I don't know--anywhere. I say, let's find an island and build a hut,
and go there whenever we like."

"But where?--out in the sea somewhere?"

"No, no, I mean such a place as Dave's and John Warren's. You and I
could retreat there whenever we liked."

Tom stared, and did not seem to grasp the idea for a few minutes; then
his eyes brightened.

"Why, Dick," he cried, "that would be glorious! We could catch and
shoot birds, and have our own fire, and no one could get to us."

"Without a boat," said Dick slowly.

"I'd forgotten that," said Tom thoughtfully. "How could we get there,
then?"

"We'd borrow Hicky's punt till we had built one for ourselves."

"But could we build one?"

"Of course we could, or make one of skins, or a raft of reeds. There
are lots of ways."

"But what will your father say?"

"I don't know," said Dick dolefully; "he thinks I'm fighting against
him, so I suppose he'll be glad I've gone."

"But how about your mother?"

Dick paused a few moments before answering.

"I should tell her as a secret, and she'd help me, and lend me things we
should want. I don't care to be at home now, with everybody looking at
one as if there was something wrong."

"I don't think my father would let me go," said Tom thoughtfully, "and
I'm sure my mother wouldn't; and I say, Dick, isn't it all nonsense?"

"I don't think it's nonsense," said Dick, who was taking a very morbid
view of matters, consequent upon a mistaken notion of his father's ideas
and thoughts at that time,