ve me
a comical look.

"That's the way to talk to him," he said. "If you don't, he'll grow up
so conceited he'll want extra buttons on his jacket to keep him from
swelling out too much."

"Now, Burr, are you coming?" shouted Mercer.

"Yes. Good morning," I said to Lomax, and I hurried out.

"I thought we should have learned long before this," said my companion,
as we strolled leisurely back. "I don't seem to get on a bit further,
and I certainly don't feel as if I could fight. Do you?"

"No," I said frankly.

"You see, it wants testing or proving, same as you do a sum. Shall we
have a fall out with them and try?"

"No," I cried excitedly. "That wouldn't do. They might lick us. We
ought to try with some one else first."

"But who is there? If we had a fight with some other boys, Eely and
Dicksee would know, and we should have no chance to fight them then. I
know. Let you and I fall out and have a set to."

I whistled, and put my hands in my pockets.

"Wouldn't that do?" he said.

"No, not at all. It wouldn't be real, and--"

"Hold your tongue. Here's Magglin."

"Morning, young gents," said the man coming up in his nasty, watchful,
furtive way, looking first behind him, and then dodging to right and
left to look behind us, to see if any one was coming.

"Morning.--Hi! look out! Keeper!" cried Mercer.

"Eh? Where? where?" whispered Magglin huskily.

"Down in the woods," cried Mercer laughingly. "Look at him, Burr; he
has been up to some games, or he wouldn't be so frightened."

"Get out!" growled the gipsy-looking fellow sourly. "Doctor don't teach
you to behave like that, I know."

"Nor the gardener don't teach you to try and cheat people with ferrets."

"Well, I like that," cried Magglin in an ill-used tone. "I sells you
for a mate of mine--"

"No, you didn't, it was for yourself, Magg."

"As good a farret as ever run along a hole."

"As bad a one as ever stopped in and wouldn't come out again."

"And you turn like that on a fellow."

"You're a cheat, Magg, and you took us in. That was your old ferret you
sold me, and I wish I'd never paid you a shilling."

"Nay, not you. It's a good farret, and you've only paid me four
shillin' out of them five."

"And I don't think I shall pay you any more."

"Nay, you must. Gents can't break their words."

"But they can break blackguards' heads, Magg."

"I ain't a blackguard, and I sold you the ferret fair and square. It
were