a child?
Water, indeed! Strong water, then. I shouldn't a bit wonder if it was
smuggled gin. But, there, I won't tell tales."

"Ahoy there!" shouted the gardener. "Master Aleck, there's a sight more
eggs yon other way."

"Yes, I know," cried the boy. "Another time." Then to himself, "Bother
his officiousness! Wants to be very civil so that I shan't notice about
his being there with that bottle."

The man shouted something back, and upon Aleck looking round he saw to
his surprise that he was being followed, the gardener shuffling after
him at a pretty good rate.

"Now, why does he want me to go the other way?" thought the boy. "I
didn't mind which cliff I went along, but I do now. I'm not going to be
dictated to by him. I know, he wants to come with me, just by way of an
excuse to leave off digging for an hour or two and chatter and babble
and keep on saying things I don't want to hear, as well as question me
about yesterday's fight; and I'm not going to give him the chance."

Aleck smiled to himself, and winced again, for the swollen face was
stiff and the nerves and muscles about his eyes in no condition for
smiles. Then, keeping on for a few yards till he was hidden from his
follower by the thick shrubs, he stooped down, ran off to his right, and
reached the path on the other side of the depression, well out of the
gardener's sight; and reaching a suitable spot he dropped down upon his
knees, having the satisfaction of watching the man hurrying along till
he came to where the depression narrowed and the pathway along the chasm
began.

From here there was a good view downward, and the man stopped short,
sheltered his eyes with his right hand to scan the narrow shelf-like
declivity for quite a minute, before he took off his hat and began
scratching his head, while he looked round and behind before having
another scratch and appearing thoroughly puzzled.

"Wondering how I managed to drop out of sight," laughed Aleck to
himself.

He was quite right, for he saw Dunning turn to right and left, after
looking forward, ending by staring straight up in the air, and then
backward, before giving his leg a sounding rap, and taking off his hat
to wipe the perspiration from his forehead.

"He doesn't get so hot as that over his work," said Aleck to himself, as
he crouched lower, laughing heartily; and he had another good laugh
when, after one more careful look, the old gardener shook his head
disconsolately a