half-a-crown," said Lamb. "Out with it!"

"My half-crown!" exclaimed Proctor. "You did not say I had anything to
pay."

"As if you did not know that, without my telling you! You don't think
people give away their good things, I suppose! Come,--where's your
half-crown? My money is all at home."

Holt had nothing with him either. Lamb asked the woman what there was to
pay. She seemed to count and consider; and Holt told Hugh afterwards
that he saw Lamb wink at her. She then said that the younger gentlemen
had had the most plums and cakes. The charge was a shilling a-piece for
them, and sixpence for Master Lamb:--half-a-crown exactly. Hugh
protested he never meant anything like this, and that he wanted part of
his half-crown to buy a comb with; and he would have emptied out the
cakes and fruit he had left; but the woman stopped him, saying that she
never took back what she had sold. Lamb hurried him, too, declaring that
their time was up; and he even thrust his finger and thumb into Hugh's
inner pocket, and took out the half-crown, which he gave to the woman.
He was sure that Hugh could wait for his comb till Holt paid him, and
the woman said she did not see that any more combing was wanted: the
young gentleman's hair looked so pretty as it was. She then showed them
through the garden, and gave them each a marigold full-blown. She
unlocked her gate, pushed them through, locked it behind them, and left
them to hide their purchases as well as they could. Though the little
boys stuffed their pockets till the ripest plums burst, and wetted the
linings, they could not dispose of them all; and they were obliged to
give away a good many.

Hugh went in search of his new friend, and drew him aside from the rest
to relate his trouble. Dale wondered he had not found out Lamb before
this, enough to refuse to follow his lead. Lamb would never pay a penny.
He always spent the little money he had upon good things, the first day
or two; and then he got what he could out of any one who was silly
enough to trust him.

"But," said Hugh, "the only thing we had to do with each other before
was by my being kind to him."

"That makes no difference," said Dale.

"But what a bad boy he must be! To be sure, he will pay me, when he
knows how much I want a comb."

"He will tell you to buy it out of your five shillings. You let him know
you had five shillings in Mrs. Watson's hands."

"Yes; but he knows how I mean to spend that,--for prese