n't speak; he could only stutter and point at the sack
with 'is finger, and Henery Walker, as was getting curious, lifted up the
other end of it and out rolled a score of as fine cabbages as you could
wish to see.

I never see people so astonished afore in all my born days, and as for
Bob Pretty, 'e stood staring at them cabbages as if 'e couldn't believe
'is eyesight.

"And that's wot I've been kept 'ere all night for," he ses, at last,
shaking his 'ead. "That's wot comes o' trying to do a kindness to
keepers, and 'elping of 'em in their difficult work. P'r'aps that ain't
the sack arter all, Mr. Cutts. I could ha' sworn they was pheasants in
the one I found, but I may be mistook, never 'aving 'ad one in my 'ands
afore. Or p'r'aps somebody was trying to 'ave a game with you, Mr.
Cutts, and deceived me instead."

The keepers on'y stared at 'im.

"You ought to be more careful," ses Bob. "Very likely while you was
taking all that trouble over me, and Keeper Lewis was catching 'is death
o' cold, the poachers was up at the plantation taking all they wanted.
And, besides, it ain't right for Squire Rockett to 'ave to pay Henery
Walker five shillings for finding a lot of old cabbages. I shouldn't
like it myself."

[Illustration: "You ought to be more careful," ses Bob.]

He looked out of the corner of 'is eye at the squire, as was pretending
not to notice Henery Walker touching 'is cap to him, and then 'e turns to
'is wife and he ses:

"Come along, old gal," 'e ses. "I want my breakfast bad, and arter that
I shall 'ave to lose a honest day's work in bed."

DIXON'S RETURN

Talking about eddication, said the night-watchman, thoughtfully, the
finest eddication you can give a lad is to send 'im to sea. School is
all right up to a certain p'int, but arter that comes the sea. I've been
there myself and I know wot I'm talking about. All that I am I owe to
'aving been to sea.

[Illustration: "Talking about eddication, said the night-watchman."]

There's a saying that boys will be boys. That's all right till they go
to sea, and then they 'ave to be men, and good men too. They get knocked
about a bit, o' course, but that's all part o' the eddication, and when
they get bigger they pass the eddication they've received on to other
boys smaller than wot they are. Arter I'd been at sea a year I spent all
my fust time ashore going round and looking for boys wot 'ad knocked me
about afore I sailed, and there w