Part 16 (2/2)

”No, you don't, old clever-shakes,” said his brother.

”Well, you see if I don't tell,” said Philip. ”I know old Sam has hidden them because we walked all down the gravel-walk last month, before Fred came; and don't you remember it was wet, and we pretended that it was a flood, and that we were obliged to use the stilts to keep out of the water; and then Sam went and told Papa that we had made the path all full of holes with the stilts?”

”Oh! ah! I recollect,” said Harry; ”and I remember your going down in the puddle. But do you think Sam took them?”

”I feel sure he did,” said Philip.

”Won't we serve him out then,” said Harry. ”Come on. Let's pretend that we know he's got them, and ask for them at once.”

Now, old Sam had been all this time very methodically shaving away at his gra.s.s, and congratulating himself upon the boys keeping out of the garden; but, to his horror and disgust, he at length saw them all come bearing down upon him full rush, evidently bent upon some errand that he would consider unpleasant.

”Ha!” said Sam, stopping to wipe his scythe, and drawing his rubber out of the sheath on his back. ”Ha! I know what you all wants. You wants to know how the wopses' nest is a gettin' on.”

”No, we don't,” said chief spokesman Harry; ”but we'll go presently and see, though. We want our stilts, that you've got somewhere.”

”Laws, Master Henry,” said the old man, pretending to be innocent, ”whatever made you think of that?”

”Come now,” said Harry, ”give 'em up directly, or we'll run away with your tools. Give us the stilts.”

”I ain't got 'em,” said the old man.

”No, but you've hid them away somewhere; so tell us directly.”

”Stilts--stilts,” said Sam, wonderingly; ”what's stilts?”

”Why, you know well enough,” said Philip; ”and I know you've hid them away somewhere, because you thought we should forget them and not want them any more; so come now, Sam, tell us where they are, or we'll all begin to plague you.”

”No, I weant,” said Sam, throwing off all disguise. ”You don't want them, and you'll only go 'brog--brog' all down the walks, making the place full of holes, and worse than when people has been down 'em in pattens. I weant tell ee, theer,” said the old man, defiantly, in his broad Lincolns.h.i.+re dialect.

”Yes, you will,” said Harry; ”now come.”

”I weant,” said the old man again, beginning to mow.

”Never mind,” said Harry, ”we'll go and have a look at the wasps' nest, and see if they are all killed, and then I know what we'll do. I say, Fred,” he said loudly, ”Phil and I will show you how they thin grapes.”

”Oh! laws,” said old Sam to himself, and bursting out into a cold perspiration, for his grapes were the greatest objects of his pride, and he used to gain prizes with them at the different horticultural shows in the district. Even Mr Inglis himself never thought of laying a profaning hand upon his own grapes, until Sam had cut them and brought them in for dessert; and now the young dogs were talking of thinning them, and the sharp-pointed scissors lay all ready; and what was worse, the key was in the door of the green-house.

”Oh dear! oh dear!” said Sam, throwing down his scythe, and hobbling off after the boys, who kept provokingly in front, and popped into the green-house just before him. ”There,” he said, ”I'm bet out with you; come out, and I'll tell ee wheer the stilts are.”

”Honour bright, Sam?” said Harry.

”Oh! ah! yes,” said Sam. And then the boys coming out from beneath the pendent green bunches of grapes which hung thickly from the roof, the old man locked the door up, and seemed to breathe more freely when he had the key safely in his pocket.

”I knew he'd hid them,” said Philip.

”Now, then,” said Harry, ”where are they?”

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