at has, and Magg said a rat bit it out
one day."

"If he has cheated you, I wouldn't pay for it," I said.

"I don't know how it is," continued Mercer thoughtfully, "but it seems
to me as if people like to cheat schoolboys. We never did two shillings
worth of damage to those fishing lines--and I've got a horrible thought,
Burr!"

"What is it?" I said.

"Why, it's all that time since we gave old Lom the money, and for the
first week he was always winking and laying his finger up against the
side of his nose every time he saw us, and now we can't ever see him at
all."

"Oh!" I ejaculated. "No. Impossible! He's an old soldier, and he
couldn't cheat us like that."

"Well, if he has, I'll tell the Doctor, and have him punished."

"You couldn't tell," I said dolefully.

"No, I forgot that. Well, let's go and see if he's at home now. Why,
he hasn't done any drilling this week! Why's that?"

I shook my head, feeling horrified at the idea of such a fine-looking,
frank old soldier being guilty of a piece of trickery, and I said so,
but declared that I would not believe it.

"I don't want to, but people do cheat us. Even Polly Hopley charges us
double for lots of the things we have."

By this time we had reached the lodge, but the door was shut, and Mercer
looked at me very gloomily.

"There's all our money gone," he said; "and I'll never trust anybody
again. I wish I hadn't bought that ferret. You see if it don't cheat
us too, and run away. This makes eight times we've come to look for old
Lom, and he must be--What?"

"Look," I said eagerly. "I knew he couldn't do such a thing. There he
is in that cart."

Sure enough, there was the sergeant; and then as the cart drew nearer,
it was pulled up, and the old man leaped down, thanked the farmer for
giving him a lift, and walked toward his cottage, carrying a big long
carpet-bag.

"Ah, Mr Lomax!" I cried, as I hurried towards him, but he laid his
finger to the side of his nose, nodded, frowned, unlocked his door and
went in.

"There, that's how he always goes on now," said Mercer spitefully. "It
was all gammon, and he never meant to teach us, and we shan't be able to
serve those two out. Come on."

We were moving off disconsolately, I with quite a feeling of pain in my
breast, when a voice said, "Hi!" and, looking round, there was the
sergeant beckoning to us.

My heart seemed to leap again, and I hurried back.

"How are you both?" he said, p