iselessly as
they had gone out, and crept into bed again, of course thinking that no
one had observed them. No sooner was the door closed than there was a
strong smell of apples in the room, and presently "crunch! crunch!
crunch!" was heard.

"Those fellows have been stealing old Rowley's apples, now," thought
Jack; "and that donkey Paddy Adair has, I'd bet, been heading the
party."

He felt as if he were a spy by not letting them know that he was awake,
so he sat up and said, "Hillo! you fellows, what have you been about?"

"Is that you awake, Jack?" answered Adair. "Never mind, we've had great
fun. Have an apple, will you?"

"No, thank you," said Jack, "I'd rather not;" laying considerable
emphasis on the last words.

"He doesn't deserve one as he hadn't the pluck to go and get them," said
a voice from under the bedclothes.

"Who says that?" exclaimed Jack, sitting up in bed.

"Why, I say you would have been afraid to go and do what we have done,"
answered Bully Pigeon, summoning up more courage than was his wont.

"Afraid!" exclaimed Jack, springing out of bed and slipping on his
trousers. "Afraid of what? Afraid of stealing? Afraid of telling a
lie I am; but I'm not afraid of _you, you thief_, I can tell you."

Even Bully Pigeon could not stand this. Unless he would be jeered at
and called sneak ever afterwards by all the little boys in the school,
he felt that he must retaliate. He jumped up and sprang at Jack, aiming
a blow, which, if the latter had not slipped aside, would have knocked
him over. Jack, notwithstanding this, sprang back, and put himself on
his defence, not only warding off the next blow Pigeon struck, but
planting another between his eyes, which brought fire into them with a
vengeance.

This enraged the bully, who came thundering down on Jack with all his
might, and would have wellnigh crushed him, but Pigeon found a new
assailant in the field whom he did not expect--one of his own party. It
was Paddy Adair.

"I can't stand that, and I won't," he exclaimed, aiming a blow at
Pigeon's head which sent him backwards; while Alick Murray, who had
likewise jumped up, appeared on the other side of him.

"We are thieves, I tell you; we've been stealing old Rowley's apples,
and Jack Rogers is right," cried Terence.

"A very true remark, boys," said a deep voice which all recognised full
well. The door opened, and old Rowley himself, habited in his
dressing-gown, with a candle in o