uick as thought, with the stout hazel stick
well raised in the air, just as the figure was stooping lowest. Then--

_Whoosh! Thwack_!

A stinging blow, given with all the boy's nervous force, as with a bound
he threw all his strength into the cut.

"Yah!"

A tremendous yell, a rush, and before Tom could get more than one other
stroke to tell, the pear-seeker was running along the soft border,
evidently making for the far corner of the garden, where the fence took
the place of the wall.

The chord is shorter than the arc; and this applies to walks in gardens
as well as geometry, only people generally call that which amounts to
the chord the short cut.

Tom took the short cut, so as to meet Pete, but in the darkness he did
not pause to think. For a moment all was silent, and the enemy had
evidently stopped to hide.

"But he must be close here," thought Tom, as he reached the end of the
cross walk, past which he felt that the boy must come; and to startle
him into showing where he was Tom made a sudden rush.

That rush was made too quickly; for he felt himself seized, and before
he could do anything, whack! whack! came two cuts on one leg.

"Got yer then, have I?" was growled in his ear; and then came loudly,
"Master Tom! here! sharp!"

"I am here," roared Tom. "What are you doing? Don't."

"Master Tom!"

"David! But never mind; look sharp! He's close to us somewhere. I saw
him under the pear-tree, and got one cut at him."

"Got two cuts at him," growled David savagely. "I know yer did. That
was me!"

"Halloo there! Tom! David! Got him?"

"Got him!" growled David. "Got it, you mean. Hi! Yes, sir. Here we
are."

Uncle Richard was on the way down the path.

"What was the meaning of that yell I heard?" he said, as he drew near.

Neither replied.

"Do you hear, Tom? What was that noise?"

"It was a mistake, uncle," cried Tom, rubbing his leg.

"Mistake? I said that yell. Oh, here you are."

"Yes, uncle; it was a mistake. I hit David in the dark, and he holloaed
out."

"And enough to make any one, warn't it, sir? Scythes and scithers, it
was a sharp 'un!"

"I don't think it was any sharper than the two you hit me, David," said
Tom, who was writhing a little as he rubbed.

"Why, you two have never been so stupid as to attack each other in the
dark, have you?" said Uncle Richard.

"I'm afraid so, uncle. I saw something by the tree and heard a
rustling, and I thought it mu