on the grass asleep, and Marjorie, having deserted her minnows, was
tickling him about the ears with a long blade, greatly enjoying his
occasional slaps at the parts affected, and his muttered anathemas on
the flies.

"Oi'm thinkin', Mishtress Carrmoikle, it's gettin' toime fer the aitin'
an' drhinkin', wid your lave, mum; but fwhere did yez foind the
skifft?" Brief explanations followed to the veteran and Mr. Errol, who
were at once put under orders, the one to light a fire and produce the
tea-kettle, the other to fill two pails with clean water, and put a
piece of ice in one of them. Soon the colonel and Marjorie came to help,
the cloth was laid, the sandwiches, chickens, pies and cakes, placed
upon it, and everything got in readiness for the home-coming of the
punt. "O Aunty," said Marjorie, "this would be so lovely, if only poor
Eugene were here too."

"So it would, dear," answered the sympathetic aunt and mother, "but we
must try to make the best of it without him."

The kettle boiled under Mr. Terry's superintendence, the tea was infused
in the little Japanese tea-pot, and the colonel, taking from his
waistcoat pocket a silver whistle that had done duty for a cavalry
trumpet in former days, blew a signal for the information of the
punters. In a minute they arrived, bearing two grand strings of fish,
only the strings that went through the gills of the bass were hazel
twigs. Then there was washing of hands without soap, Mr. Bigglethorpe
showing his companions how to improvise a substitute for Pears' by
pulling up the pretty little water-lobelia and using the unctuous clay
about its spreading roots for the purpose. All sat about the
table-cloth, Mr. Perrowne said, "For what we are about to receive," and
the _al fresco_ repast began. Mrs. Carmichael dispensed the tea, and was
displeased with Mr. Errol for declining a cup just then, because he was
busy with a corkscrew and an ale bottle. Mr. Perrowne joined him with
another; but the fisherman said ale made him bilious and his name was
not William. So Mr. Terry produced his special charge, and treated the
colonel first, then Mr. Bigglethorpe, and finally his honoured self. The
boys, as the matron had termed the two clergymen, seemed to be happy
with their beer, somewhat to his sorrow. "It takes moighty little,
cornel, to shatishfy some payple, but there's aall the more av it for
the risht av us."

Miss Halbert said that Basil had eaten ten sandwiches, two plates of