ur right!" said Crofter. "Hallo! it's one of our fellows.
Looks like Tempest himself."

I wished myself at the bottom of the river then! What would he think of
me if he saw me, and if he knew what I had been listening to?

In my perturbation I over-pulled my line and sent our boat into the
bank. Tempest, who evidently was relieving himself with a spin of hard
exercise after his fashion, and imagined he had the river to himself,
was bearing down straight upon us.

"Hallo, there; keep her out!" shouted Crofter.

Tempest looked round in a startled way, and held water hard to avoid a
collision. Then, as he suddenly took in who we were, his face
lengthened, and he came to a halt alongside.

"You there, Jones iv.?"

"Yes, would you like me to come and steer you?" said I.

Considering the difficulty into which I had just landed my present boat,
it was difficult to natter myself any one would exactly compete for my
services. But Tempest answered shortly,--

"Come along."

"Hullo, I say," said Crofter suavely, but with a flush on his cheeks,
"he's steering me, Tempest."

"He's doing no good. He's stuck you in the bank already. Come along,
Jones."

"I haven't done with him yet," said Crofter, flushing still more deeply
as his voice became sweeter. "I want him to stay with me."

"And I don't want him to stay with you," blurted out Tempest, losing his
temper. "I've told him so already. He can do as he likes, though."

And he began to dip his sculls again in the water.

"No," said I, "I want to come in your boat, Tempest."

"Come along, then;" and he backed his stern up towards me.

Crofter made no further protest; but greeted my desertion with a
mellifluous laugh, which made me more uncomfortable than a storm of
objurgations.

Tempest said nothing, but dug his blades viciously in the water, and
spun away with grim face and clenched teeth.

For a quarter of a mile he sculled on before he lay on his oars and
exclaimed,--

"You young fool!"

"Why," pleaded I, "I didn't think you'd mind. He's been friendly enough
to you lately."

"Bah! What do I care what he is to me? I told you to fight shy of the
fellow, and there you go and give yourself away to him."

I did not quite like this. Tempest spoke to me as if I had not a soul
of my own, and had no right to do anything without his leave.

"He was speaking quite kindly about you," persisted I.

Tempest checked the contemptuous exclamation which