a village, where Mr. Rowe had business.
The horse was to rest and bait here; and the barge-master told us that
if we had "a shilling or so about" us, we might dine on excellent
bread and cheese at the _White Lion_, or even go so far as poached
eggs and yet more excellent bacon, if our resources allowed of it. We
were not sorry to go ashore. There was absolutely no shelter on the
deck of the barge from the sunshine, which was glaringly reflected by
the water. The inn parlour was low, but it was dark and cool. I felt
doubtful about the luxury even of cheese after that beefsteak-pie but
Fred smacked his lips and ordered eggs and bacon, and I paid for them
out of the canvas-bag.

As we sat together I said, "I wrote a letter to my mother, Fred. Did
you write to Mrs. Johnson?"

Fred nodded, and pulled a scrap of dirty paper from his pocket,
saying, "That's the letter; but I made a tidy copy of it afterwards."

I have said that Fred was below me in class, though he is older; and
he was very bad at spelling. Otherwise the letter did very well,
except for smudges.

"DEAR MOTHER,

"Charlie and I are going to run away at least by the time you get
this we have run away but never mind for wen weve seen the wurld
were cumming back we took the pi wich I hope you wont mind as we
had no brekfust and I'll bring back the dish we send our best love
and I've no more to tell you to-day from your affectionate son
FRED."

I saw Mr. Rowe myself very busy in the bar of the _White Lion_, with a
sheet of paper and an old steel pen, which looked as if the point had
been attenuated to that hair-like fineness by sheer age. He started
at the sight of me, which caused him to drop a very large blot of ink
from the very sharp point of the pen on to his paper. I left him
wiping it up with his handkerchief. But it never struck me that he was
writing a letter on the same subject as Fred and I had been writing
about. He was, however: and Mr. Johnson keeps it tied up with Fred's
to this day. The spelling was of about the same order.

"MR. JOHNSON. HONERD SIR.

"i rites in duty bound to acqaint you that the young genlemen is
with me, looking out for Advenchurs and asking your pardon i wish
they may find them as innercent as 2 Babes in the Wood on the
London and Lancingford Canal were they come aboard quite unknown to
me and blowed theirselves up with lucifers the fust go off and
y