red should be walking together. If anybody
thought twice about the matter, it was Dr. Hilton; and I dare say he
supposed they were swapping jack-knives.

As soon as they were fairly out of sight of the village, Fred said,
sneeringly,--

"Well, I've been waiting most half an hour--I suppose you know. Began to
think you'd sneaked out of it, Bill."

There is an insult in the word 'sneak' that no boy of spirit can bear,
and Willy was in no mood to be insulted.

"Fred Chase," said he, bristling, "I'll give you one minute to take that
back."

"O, I didn't mean anything, Billy; only you was so awful slow, you
know."

"Slow, Fred Chase! You needn't call _me_ slow! Bet you I can turn round
three times while you're putting out one foot."

It is plain enough, from the tone of this conversation, that the boys
had not started out with that friendly feeling, which two travellers
ought to have for each other, who are intending to take a long journey
in company. Fred saw it would not do for Willy to be so cross in the
very beginning. He had had hard work to get the boy's consent to go, and
now, for fear he might turn back, he suddenly became very pleasant.

"Look here, Billy; you can beat me running; I own up to that; but we've
got to keep together, you know. Don't you get ahead of me--now will
you?"

"I'll try not to," replied Willy, somewhat softened; "but you do get out
of breath as easy as a chicken."

"Most time to begin to run?" said Fred, after they had trudged on for
some time at a moderate pace.

"No; there's a man coming this way," replied the sharper-eyed Willy.

"O, yes; I see him now. Who suppose it is?"

"Why, Dr. Potter, of course. Don't you know him by his _shappo brar_?"

The _chapeau bras_ was a three-cornered hat, the like of which you and I
have never seen, except in very old pictures.

As Dr. Potter met the boys, he shook his ivory-headed cane, and said,
playfully, "Good evening, my little men."

"Good evening, sir."

But it was certainly a bad evening inside their hearts, sulky and dark.

"What if Dr. Potter should tell where he met us?" exclaimed Fred. "Lucky
'twasn't Dr. Hilton.--There, he's out of the way; now let's run."

They were on the road to Cross Lots, a town about five miles from
Perseverance. They had not as yet marked out their course very clearly,
but thought after they should reach Cross Lots it would be time enough
to decide what to do next.

They ran with all their might,