omax had begun again apparently as fresh as ever,
and to our horror he suddenly began to whistle a merry tune.

"Lomax!" cried Mr Hasnip.

"What's the matter, sir?"

"For goodness' sake--at a time like this--it is too--"

"Why, haven't I got cause to whistle, sir?" cried the sergeant merrily.
"What did I tell you? Only wanted time and plenty o' muscle."

"What! is he reviving?"

"No, sir, he's revived," said Lomax. "Look at the colour coming, and
his eyelids quivering. He'll be sitting up directly. Here, you can
feel his heart beating now."

Mr Rebble went down on one knee and laid his hand upon Dicksee's
breast; then, jumping up again, he caught Lomax by the wrist.

"Heaven bless you for this!" he cried, and Mr Hasnip forgot his dignity
as a master, and, taking off his hat, joined us boys in a hearty, "Hip!
hip! hip! hooray!" which seemed to give the finishing impetus to our
treatment, for Dicksee opened his eyes wide, struggled up into a sitting
position, stared about him for a few moments, and then cried, in a
harsh, unpleasant tone,--

"Where's my clothes?"

As he spoke, there was the sound of footsteps, and the medical man and
the messenger who had been sent to bring him hurried up.

"I'm very sorry," he said. "I was right at the other end of the parish,
and had to be fetched. Is this the patient?"

Dicksee had now huddled the blanket round him, and began in a whining,
queer way,--

"What's been the matter? What are you all doing? Here, somebody, I
want my clothes."

"No occasion to have fetched me," said the surgeon, smiling. "You've
brought him round, I see. They're often like this when they've been
nearly drowned. Come, squire, can you dress yourself?"

"Yes, if you'll all go away," cried Dicksee in a snarling tone. "Who's
a-going to dress with you all a-staring like that?"

"Go into the shed, Dicksee," said Mr Rebble. "Can you walk?"

"Of course, I can, sir;" and he scrambled up.

"Had a long job of course," said the surgeon; and then--"He don't seem
very grateful for being brought back to life. Well, gentlemen, there's
little to do. Let him go to bed soon, and have a good night's rest. I
don't suppose he will be much worse in the morning when I come."

So little seemed to be the matter, that, when he was dressed, Dicksee
walked slowly back to the school, Mercer and I following him with Lomax.

"Rum thing," he said, "how crusty the being nearly drowned makes a lad.
Hardl