Macey and
Gilmore were both watching him narrowly and thinking, he felt sure,
that, if Distin struck him, he would not return the blow.

As the three lads took their seats, Distin, with a lordly contempt and
arrogance of manner, removed his jacket, and deliberately doubled it up
to place it forward. Then slowly rolling up his sleeves he took the
sculls, seated himself and began to back-water but without effect, for
the boat was too firmly aground forward.

"You'll never get her off that way," cried Macey the irrepressible.
"Now lads, all together, make her roll."

"Sit still, sir!" thundered Distin--at least he meant to thunder, but it
was only a hoarse squeak.

"Yes, sir; certainly, sir," cried Macey; and then, in an undertone to
his companions, "Shall we not sterrike for ferreedom? Are we all--er--
serlaves!"

Then he laughed, and slapped his leg, for Distin drew in one scull,
rose, and began to use the other to thrust the boat off.

"I say, you know," cried Macey, as Gilmore held up the boat-hook to
Distin, but it was ignored, "I don't mean to pay my whack if you break
that scull."

"Do you wish me to break yours?" retorted Distin, so fiercely that his
words came with a regular snarl.

"Oh, murder! he's gone mad," said Macey, in a loud whisper; and screwing
up his face into a grimace which he intended to represent horrible
dread, but more resembled the effects produced by a pin or thorn, he
crouched down right away in the stern of the boat, but kept up a
continuous rocking which helped Distin's efforts to get her off into
deep water. When the latter seated himself, turned the head, and began
to row back, that is to say, he dipped the sculls lightly from time to
time, so as to keep the boat straight, the stream being strong enough to
carry them steadily down without an effort on the rower's part.

Macey being right in the stern, Vane and Gilmore sat side by side,
making a comment now and then about something they passed, while Distin
was of course alone, watching them all from time to time through his
half-closed eyes, as if suspicious that their words might be relating to
him.

Then a gloomy silence fell, which lasted till Macey burst out in
ecstatic tones:

"Oh, I am enjoying of myself!"

Then, after a pause:

"Never had such a glorious day before."

Another silence, broken by Macey once more, saying in a deferential
way:--

"If your excellency feels exhausted by this unwonted exertion, your