s father calls
him. I say, Sep, what a game! Did you ever see such a babby?"

"Don't do that," said Bigley sharply.

"Don't do what?--splash you?" cried Bob. "There--and there."

He suited the action to the word, and scooping up the water, he sent it
flying over our tall schoolmate.

"You know what I mean," said Bigley, speaking in a low angry tone such
as I had never before heard from him.

"Why, what do you mean?" cried Bob offensively. "Do you want me to
thrash you?"

"I want you to leave my father alone, and what he says to me," said
Bigley sharply. "I don't mind your making fun of me. I don't mind what
you call me; but that's his name he has always used since I was a little
baby, and you've no business to say it."

"Ha--ha--ha!" laughed Bob, "here's a game. Do you hear, Sep! He says
he was once a little baby. I don't believe it. Ha--ha--ha!"

Bigley did not take any notice, and I did not join in the laugh, so Bob
made a movement as if he were going to wade out of the pool, and his
lips parted to say something disagreeable. I knew as well as could be
that he was going to say that he should go home if we were about to turn
like that; but his legs were wet, and the walk home was long, and not
pleasant to take alone. And then there were the fish in the pool to
catch, and in spite of his expressions of unbelief he knew that there
must be some. So he altered his mind, and changed his tone.

"I didn't want to upset you, Big, old matey," he said. "I didn't, did
I, Sep Duncan? Here, what's the good of quarrelling when it's holidays?
There, I won't call you so any more."

Bigley's face cleared in a moment, and with a couple of splashes he was
at Bob's side with one hand extended, and the other upon his
school-fellow's shoulder.

"It's all right," he said quickly. "Shake hands, and let's get the
fish. There, I'll go for the prawn net and a basket."

He ran splashing out of the water, and up over the boulders towards the
cottage, leaving me and Bob together.

"I wouldn't be as big as he is," said Bob, "and I wouldn't have such a
nasty temper for thousands of pounds. Here, what are you grinning at?"

"At you." For there was something so comic in his speech, coming as it
did from the most ill-tempered boy in the school--Dr Stacey had often
said so, and Bob proved it every day of his life--that I burst into a
hearty laugh.

Bob stood knee-deep in the water staring hard at me. For the first fe