steer himself home, and gets carried right past the trees, and has to
bear up again and again before he can perch."

The locking-up bell began to toll, and the two boys were silent, and
listened to it. The sound soon carried Tom off to the river and the
woods, and he began to go over in his mind the many occasions on which
he had heard that toll coming faintly down the breeze, and had to pack
up his rod in a hurry, and make a run for it, to get in before the gates
were shut. He was roused with a start from his memories by Arthur's
voice, gentle and weak from his late illness.

"Tom, will you be angry if I talk to you very seriously?"

"No, dear old boy, not I. But ain't you faint, Arthur, or ill? What can
I get you? Don't say anything to hurt yourself now--you are very weak;
let me come up again."

"No, no, I shan't hurt myself: I'd sooner speak to you now, if you don't
mind. I've asked Mary to tell the Doctor that you are with me, so you
needn't go down to calling-over; and I mayn't have another chance, for I
shall most likely have to go home for change of air to get well, and
mayn't come back this half."

"Oh, do you think you must go away before the end of the half? I'm so
sorry. It's more than five weeks yet to the holidays, and all the
fifth-form examination and half the cricket-matches to come yet. And
what shall I do all that time alone in our study? Why, Arthur, it will
be more than twelve weeks before I see you again. Oh, hang it, I can't
stand that! Besides, who's to keep me up to working at the examination
books? I shall come out bottom of the form as sure as eggs is eggs."

Tom was rattling on, half in joke, half in earnest, for he wanted to get
Arthur out of his serious vein, thinking it would do him harm; but
Arthur broke in--

"Oh, please, Tom, stop, or you'll drive all I had to say out of my head.
And I'm already horribly afraid I'm going to make you angry."

"Don't gammon, young 'un," rejoined Tom (the use of the old name, dear
to him from old recollections, made Arthur start and smile, and feel
quite happy); "you know you ain't afraid, and you've never made me angry
since the first month we chummed together. Now I'm going to be quite
sober for a quarter of an hour, which is more than I am once in a year;
so make the most of it; heave ahead, and pitch into me right and left."

"Dear Tom, I ain't going to pitch into you," said Arthur piteously; "and
it seems so cocky in me to be advising you, wh