the ball, sending back that surly message," responded Will, indignantly.

"Most gratuitous rudeness; but we'll avenge all our wrongs with the most jolly feu de joie d'eau-(I'm a quarter Irishman, so the expression's allowable)— from the top of the pump that ever was, so shake hands upon it, and let us get to bed to recruit."

Full of these amiable intentions the two boys fell asleep.

The next afternoon found them at three o'clock safely perched on the top of the pump, awaiting their prey. What is that wonderful love of dangerous mischief implanted in every true boy's nature? the delight of running mad risks for a few minutes' pleasure ? that brimming spirit that makes a pleasure with no risk to neck, knee, or eye, scarcely worthy to be called a pleasure at all?

St. John was just beginning to grow weary when out came Mr. Dobbs and his granddaughter. "Wait a minute, let's hear how the great Dobbs appears in private life-it is so seldom one catches so great a man en déshabille, in the bosom of his family."

After some time spent in taking a position in which his head would be out of the sunshine and his body in it, Mr. Dobbs sat down under the apple-tree, Anne Dobbs by his side, presently she began to read a newspaper.

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"I can't hear, my dear," he interrupted, testily. Miss Dobbs raised her voice.

"I can't hear," he interrupted, more angrily; why, child, your head's turned from me."

("Of course, who would look at you if they could help it ?")

Anne Dobbs turned her timid head towards him, and raised her voice to its highest pitch.

"I'm not deaf, child," he interrupted once more, more violently than ever. St. John could resist no longer-away went his first feu de joie d'eau.

Up started Mr. Dobbs, though hardly as yet realiz

ing what the interruption had been. "Give it me, Kelso," cried Will, carried away with the excitement of the moment, and away flew the second shower.

Now Mr. Dobbs was just then looking wildly around for his enemies, expecting them to be at that part of the wall whence St. John had appeared on Saturday, feeling that the shower had come from a more easterly portion of it, and yet,-squirts never having come within his ken,-not even after his own Saturday's accusation, being quite able to believe that the water had not dropped from the sky. Thus all might have been well, if St. John and Will had been able to resist the temptation to raise their heads to witness the effect of this second shot, discharged with no tree or shrub to mar the straightness of its course,-just the same temptation, on a small scale, as that which so tried our sailors' patience before Sebastopol; where was the fun of firing if they mightn't look to see where their balls went ? Mr. Dobbs turned sharp round; short-sighted as he was, he felt sure that he saw one head, if not two, dip down, and the next moment the boys heard him call to Andrew to plant his ladder "just this side of the lilac."

"Bravo! old Dobbs shows fight; didn't think it of him. He rises in my estimation. Let's stand ground and hear his harangue."

True enough presently appeared first "the top of the three-and-sixpenny," as St. John whispered in Will's ear, and then the poor gentleman's whole face purple with anger.

"I see you, young gentlemen," he cried, choking with rage; "and didn't your father tell me this very morning you'd never think of such a thing? I'll know you again, young gents, and see if I don't make you suffer for this-insulting a British subject-"

"Under his own apple-tree," Will could not help suggesting, whilst the audacious St. John was standing with folded arms in the most deferential attitude of attention.

"You audacious young vagabond, you-you," but poor Mr. Dobbs' indignation choked his utterance. "Go on, governor, pray go on, I could listen to you for ever," put in St. John.

"I'll tell Mr. Wynne. I'll have it out on you both, I'll-"

"Hand you over to the police ?" suggested St. John, mildly.

"I say," whispered Will, suddenly awakening to the first glimmering of the light in which this conduct would appear to his father and mother, "don't chaff him so; I am sure we have been a great deal too rude to him already, although he is such a wretch."

"You're afraid of his peaching? you are really? Does the governor ever make a row ?"

"Yes, and then pays one out for all one's done for the past year," said honest Will.

"Well, I got you into it, and I'll get you out of it," and before Will knew what the boy was about, St. John was on the top of the wall, the end of the ladder between his two hands.

"Now look you, Mr. Dobbs," he said, with an iron resolution worthy of a Cromwell or Napoleon, "if you don't promise me that you'll never say a word about it to Mr. Wynne, I'll send you over in a trice, I will upon my honour," and he gave the ladder a good shake as a sample of what might follow.

"Murder! murder !" screamed poor distracted Mr. Dobbs, clinging for dear life to the rails of the ladder. "It will be murder," resumed St. John, with solemn fierceness, feeling that he had no time to lose, as Miss Dobbs ran shrieking to the house and Andrew came running across the lawn, "unless you promise this moment, yes or no,-if no, you go," and he tilted the ladder so nearly perpendicular, that he all but lost his own balance.

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Yes, yes, yes," gasped terrified Mr. Dobbs.

"On your honour ?" persisted St. John, keeping him suspended in mid air.

Р

"Oh yes, yes."

"Then there you are, old fellow," said St. John cheerfully, not sorry to place the ladder against the wall and thus to be released from his own perilous and giddy predicament. "Good afternoon, sir," and with a military salute and a pleasant parting smile, he gradually disappeared down the pump.

"You're a brick, Kelso," cried Will, wringing his hand.

"I can tell you I'm as glad to be on terra firma again as our poor friend himself: did you see how nearly I was over head foremost and all? Well, but it was jolly fun. Oh dear, I wish it wasn't all over!” "It was very good fun, only I do think we went a little too far, he can't help being a snob, you know,if he hadn't prigged that ball."

"Him as prigs what isn't his'n,

When he's cotched shall go to prison,'

sang St. John. "Dear me, how I wish I had threatened to hand him over to the police if he did not fork out. Ah, he's got the ball still, we haven't gained our point; shall I mount again ?" asked St. John, looking at the pump.

"No, no; let's come and do something sensible," answered Will, every minute, poor boy, feeling more ashamed of his share in the transaction; "you were wishing to walk into Waltham, let's go now.'

No-but I don't want to go now; I want that ball," persisted the cadet, eyeing the pump wistfully. Hang the ball," exclaimed Will, "I wish I'd never had it. Well, I'm going in to make decent, and then start."

"Wait a minute. Yes, then I'll come too. I hope, the old fellow won't find out he's conquered us after all; and to think another shaking might have got it out of him! Well, it's too late now. Let's go to Waltham then," and he followed his cousin to the house. They came back late for tea, and were eating with

all their might, when Laura cried, "Why, there's Mr. Dobbs coming here again."

"The wretch!" cried St. John starting up, ready to fling poor Mr. Dobbs down the steps if he did not surrender at discretion; but Mr. Dobbs had learnt circumspection, and had seen Mr. Wynne but a few yards behind on the green, before he turned into premises inhabited by such a desperate character as he knew one at least in Ford House to be. Just as he raised the knocker, Mr. Wynne opened the gate. Paul had been detained in town.

"Sir," said Mr. Dobbs, bowing with forced composure, "I request a private interview with you."

Mr. Wy Wynne was very unwilling to admit so troublesome a visitor inside the house again, more especially as he began to think his worthy neighbour a little cracked; however, as Mr. Dobbs would not enter on the subject on the door-step, though Mr. Wynne fumbled as long over fitting his latch-key as he could with any politeness do so, he was forced to admit him; and finding the parlour occupied, he showed his visitor into a nondescript room known with little reason as the study.

Will sat, his cheek growing red and pale by turns, eating and drinking voraciously from nervous hurry, the study being too far away for the boys to have any notion of what was going on within it. In five minutes Mr. Wynne's voice was heard in the hall calling, "Will."

Will rose at once. "You may have the credit of the squirting," shouted St. John after him, "but mind, the ladder part is all mine. How I wish I had pitched it down. Sneaking old hypocrite!"

"Now, Will," said Mr. Wynne, "I want you to tell me before this gentleman, that such charges as he brings that he is mistaken in supposing that you had anything to do with the conduct he ascribes to you."

Will, who had stood looking desperately at nothing, now raised his eyes. "Papa," said he, putting