Part 24 (1/2)

”It's what are you up to, Tom? Here, how are you now?”

”Quite well, thankye, Master Aleck How are you? But, here,” he cried, changing his manner, ”what does it all mean? Why, what--when-- hat--ah, I kno, Master Aleck! I say, don't tell one down!”

As he spoke he rose quickly into a sitting position and stared down through the opening where the steps began, uttered a sigh of content, and then said:

”I was afraid you hadn't ht But has your faintness gone off?”

”Yes, sir, that's gone”

”To think of a big sturdy fellow fainting dead away!”

”Ah, 'tis rus and feet I never knehat it was till I lost 'em, as I telled yer”

”Well, you're better now But, I say, Toet the boat full of water like this?”

”Oh, conantly ”I like that! How coreat hole in her bottom?”

”I do what?” cried Aleck ”Here, wait a bit and rest You haven't quite coht as a trivet,” cried Tom; and to prove it he turned quickly over on his face propped hiave a sharp doard thrust which threw him up so that he stood well balanced once ht,” said Aleck, after a glance at the half-sube it?”

”Me ets up when I'm down”

”No, no, no,” cried Aleck, impatiently ”I mean about the boat Did some other boat foul her?”

”No-o-o!” cried Toreat luh the bottom”

”Paper? What, the paper I went to fetch?”

”Ay, sir”

The lad went and picked up a small parcel he had dropped on the pier and held it up in the ain, and then said, very severely:

”Look here, Tom, you are mad, or have you been--you know?”

Aleck turned his hand into a drinking vessel and i

”No-o-o-o!” cried To but water for a week”

”Then how did you get my boat half full of water?”

”I didn't, sir You came and chucked that heavy lu a weak 'un, because of the hole through for the boat's h the botto of the sort, sir”