Part 2 (1/2)
Then the Colonel sauntered into the little sloping vinery where the purple and amber grapes were hanging, and Gwyn thrust in his head; but as there were no berries to be eaten, and it was very hot, he drew back and went up the slope toward the wall at the top, carefully peeling one of the pears with a fishy pocket-knife.
He was in the act of throwing a long curl of peel over the wall when a sun-browned face appeared as if on purpose to receive it, and started back. Then there was a scrambling noise from the other side, as the face disappeared very suddenly, and Gwyn burst out laughing.
”Hurt yourself?” he cried.
There was the sound of scrambling, and the face re-appeared.
”What did you do that for?” cried the owner.
”To get rid of the peel, stupid.”
”Well, you might have chucked a pear instead.”
”All right--catch.”
A pear was thrown, dexterously caught, and the newcomer immediately took a magnificent bite out of it.
”Oh! beauty!” he cried; and then, as he began to munch, he glanced down at the pit he had excavated with his keen teeth right to the core. ”Er!
Yah!” he cried, spitting out the piece. ”Why, it's all maggoty!” and he threw the pear back with excellent aim; but it was deftly caught, and returned in a way that would have won praise at cricket. Joe's aim was excellent, too; but when a boy is supporting himself by resting his elbows on the coping of a high stone-wall, he is in no position for fielding either a pear or a ball. So the pear struck him full on the front of the straw hat he wore, and down he went with a rush, while Gwyn ran to the front of the wall, climbed up quickly, and looked over into the lane, laughing boisterously.
”Got it that time, Joey,” he cried.
”All right, I'll serve you out for it. Give us another pear.”
The request was attended to, the fruit being hurled down, but it was cleverly caught.
”Why this is maggoty, too.”
”Well, I didn't put the maggots there; cut the bad out. The dropped ones are all like that.”
”Go and pick me a fresh one, then.”
”Not ripe, and father does not like me to pick them. That's a beauty.”
”Humph--'tain't bad. But I say, come on.”
”What are you going to do?”
”Do?--why, didn't you say we'd go and have a good look at the old mine?”
”Oh, ah; so I did. I forgot.”
”Come on, then. Old Hardock made my mouth water talking about it as he did this morning.”
”But we should want a rope, shouldn't we?”
”Yes. Let's get Jem Trevor to lend us one out of his boat.”
”All right. I'll come round.”