with a
churlish glee to rate me.

"So you're come back, Mr. Martin," he said. "These are nice carryings-on
for a young gentleman." I thought that I might as well be hanged for a
sheep as for a lamb. Ephraim's tone jarred me, so I told him to shut up,
as I didn't want any of his jaw. This rather staggered him, so I told
him further to open the boat-house, instead of standing like a stock,
as I wanted to moor the boat. He opened the door for me, glowering at me
moodily. "Mr. Hyde shall know of this," he said when all was secured. He
caught me by the arm to drag me out of the boat-house; so I, expecting
this, rapped him shrewdly with the stretcher on the elbow. I thought for
a moment that he would beat me. I could see his face very fierce in the
dusk. I heard his teeth gritting. Then fear of my uncle restrained him.
All that he said was, "If I 'ad my way I'd 'ave it out of you for this.
A good sound whippin's what you want."

"Is it?" I asked contemptuously. "Lock the door."

Ephraim left me in the sitting-room while he made his report to my
uncle. It was not a long report. He returned in a few minutes to say
that I was to be locked into my room without supper. "Mr. 'Ide is in a
fine taking," he said. "Per'aps 'e'll knock some of your pride out
of you." I made no answer, but let him march me to my room, to the
execution of the sentence. "There," he said, through the door, as he
turned the key on me. "Per'aps that'll bring you to your senses."

"Ephraim the stiff-neck!" I answered loudly; "Old Ephraim Stiff-neck!
Stiff-neck!"

"Ah," he answered, clumping down the corridor. He was thinking how small
I should sing when, in the morning, he gave me the option of apologizing
to him, or going without breakfast.

It was pretty dark by this time. Fish Lane was as quiet as a country
road. No one was stirring there. I thought that, as my uncle would
shortly go to supper, I might soon venture out by the window, high up
as it was, to buy myself some food in the town. I liked the notion; but
when I came to look down from the window it seemed a giddy height from
the pavement. Going down would be easy; but getting back would be quite
another matter. Thinking it over, I remembered that I had seen a short
gardener's ladder hooked to the garden wall. If I could make a rope, by
which to let myself down, I could, I thought, make use of this ladder
to get back by, for it would cover nearly half the height to my window
sill, a full thirt