"I say, the clock's stopped in the night; it wants a quarter to four by that old stupid thing on the staircase. I'll go down to the dining-room and see there; I know it's half-past seven, and everybody is lying in bed because Papa said we should all start in good time for the sands.

Don't I wish I was behind old Sam! Shouldn't I like to put a wasp in his bed!"

He then slipped quietly down to the dining-room. All was still; the blinds drawn down, but the room was light enough for him to see the hands upon the face of the little timepiece over the fireplace.

"Ten minutes to four," said the clock.

"All the clocks are wrong," said Harry, pettishly. "It must be late. I know it is. I'll go in the kitchen."

So off he went, pat, pat, with his bare feet over the oilcloth, and then upon the sandy stones in the kitchen. Plenty of light there, and the old Dutch clock plainly to be seen, only the pendulum stood still, and the weights had run down; for cook had forgotten to draw them up on the previous night. "Quarter to twelve," said the clock.

"Oh! come, that won't do," said Harry. "I know it's late. Don't I wish I had a watch of my own; I should know what the real time was then."

Up he went to Fred's room with the same tale upon his lips respecting the time, but as unbelieving as ever.

"Why, it is only four o'clock," said Philip, looking out of the window; "and there's the sun just rising. Well, you are a chap, Hal, to wake one up at this time of the morning and say it's late. I shall go to bed again."

"So shall I," said Fred.

"No, you won't," said Harry; dragging the clothes together and making a bundle, with which he ran off into his own room with both the others in full chase. And then began a regular scrimmage, French and English fashion, and Harry, having two enemies, was pulled down sprawling over a rushbottom chair, and then nearly kicked over the washstand, making such a clatter that the Squire knocked angrily at the wall; when off the noisy ones ran back into Fred's room, Harry this time being the pursuer, armed with his bolster, "Bang, crash--crash, bang--whiz--wuz--rush."

Fred went backwards upon his bed, _hors de combat_, from a well-directed blow from Harry's bolster; and then at it went Harry and Phil--the latter being armed with a pillow, down whose front a ghastly slit soon showed itself; but Philip fought well, and Harry was getting worsted and driven into the corner amongst the boots, where the footing was rather bad for bare feet "Flop!" Harry caught it then and staggered back.

"Flop" again, for Philip was surpa.s.sing himself, and Harry having received the last blow full upon the top of his head went down upon one knee; but he rallied again, ducked to avoid the next blow, and diving under Philip's arm came up behind, and "Whooz!" went the bolster bang upon Phil's back, and "Crash!" went Philip forward, ram fashion, with his head into the wardrobe door.

At it again: "whop--whop--flip--flop--bang," went pillow and bolster, while Fred, sitting tailor fashion upon his bed, was rolling with laughter. At last Philip began to shew signs of being beaten, and Harry whirled his bolster round his head in order to administer the _coup de grace_, when "crash!"--the water-bottle and tumbler were swept off the dressing-table, splintering to pieces on the floor, and covering the carpet with feet-piercing fragments and puddles of cold water.

"Oh! shan't we catch it!" said both combatants, ceasing the war, like two enemies who had just awakened to the fact that they had been doing a vast amount of mischief to somebody else's property.

"Oh! I say, whatever shall we do?" said Philip in dismay.

"Pick up the pieces," said Harry, laconically.

The three boys set to work, picked up the pieces, and sponged up the water; but there was a great, rugged, black-looking patch, like a North American continent, with plenty of islands all round it, in the midst of the carpet; but then, too, there were the fragments of broken bottle and gla.s.s.

"Oh! I say, what shall we do?" exclaimed Philip again, when all was made as decent as circ.u.mstances would permit.

There was a minute's silence which no one seemed inclined to break; but at last Harry said, moodily, "Why, we must go and tell Mamma; she won't be so very, very cross."

"She will, though; for she said we were not to bolster, because it spoiled the pillow-cases so, and--"

Here Philip caught sight of the pillow lying upon Fred's bed, the cover being nearly torn off. Upon seeing this ghastly object Philip looked more grim than ever, and he left his sentence unfinished.

"Let's buy another bottle," said Fred; "I'll pay."

This was a new idea.

"Capital," said Harry. "I've got a shilling Papa gave me yesterday, and I'll pay half."

"So will I," said Philip, brightening up.

But, as the bottle could not be bought by the lads all paying half, it was decided that they should all bear a share in the proposed expense, and go and buy the new water-holder before breakfast.

"Hooray!" said Harry, "jump into your clothes, boys, and we'll run down to the village and be back before breakfast's ready."

In another quarter of an hour, the lads pa.s.sed through the gate, and stood in the lane leading to the village. Such a bright fine morning, the sun gilding all the trees, and the birds singing away more merrily than ever. The boys had looked at the clock as they descended the staircase, and it was only five; so, as they had plenty of time upon their hands to reach the village, they sauntered slowly along, having only two miles to go.

"I say," said Harry, "let's cross the fields and go round by the back lane; we shall then go over the shallows, and Fred has never seen the stepping-stones."

"How much farther is it?" said Fred.

"Only about a mile," was the reply.

Off they went, over the stile, and then across the dewy gra.s.s, over more fields, glittering in the morning sunlight, and then down into the back lane.

"Tuck up your trousers, boys," said Harry, setting the example; and then when that preliminary was arranged, splish, splash, they went along the wet path.

A splendid lane that was for a walk, always under water, with quite a stream flowing in parts, and shaded on either side by high hedges and banks. It was always considered impa.s.sable, except in very dry weather and in carts. But mischievous boys rather liked the back lane; there was some fun in going along it, for it was nearly always half-way up the boots, and then the water splashed so capitally when you ran down it.

Besides which, there were rats there, and stray sticklebacks: and the nicest, smoothest, and roundest pebbles for throwing to be got anywhere; besides, boots and feet soon get dry again in the summer-time; and, after all, a good bit of fun is worth all the wet boots in the world--at least, boys of twelve and thirteen think so.

"Is it all wet, like this?" said Fred, rather taken aback at the appearance of the place.

"Rat! rat! rat!" roared Harry, a cry taken up by Philip; and away they splashed, running upon their toes in chase of the long-tailed burrower.

But Rat never went very far from his residence in the day-time; and, consequently, he showed the hunters only just the tip of his tail for a moment, as he dived into his hole, and was gone. A little further on the lane became dry again, and continued so, with the exception of a little rivulet at the side, where the water was dimpling and glittering over the stones, washed clean and smooth, and amongst which the boys soon found plenty of those curious little fish, the stone loaches, for the most part lying snugly beneath some great pebble, which had to be turned over to effect their capture.

At last they reached the river and the stepping-stones. Here the stream had widened out and was very shallow, great rough ma.s.ses of pudding stone being laid on the bed to let wayfarers pa.s.s over dry-shod. This was, however, a luxury looked upon with great contempt by Harry, who merely drew his trousers into a roll above his knees, and walked straight in all amongst the water-cresses and forget-me-nots which peeped up here and there. Of course, such an example must needs be followed upon the instant, and soon there were three young storks wading about in the shallows.

"Look! look!" said Fred, all at once; "what's, that?"

They might well look, for with his scales glittering in the morning sun, and making the water surge as he endeavoured to reach a portion of the river more suitable for his bulk, a large pike came down the stream on his side. He was a monster, and seemed nearly a yard long, and so big that the boys could do nothing but stare at him at first; but Harry was not to be put out of countenance by the biggest pike in England, so at him he rushed.

"Come on," he shouted, "turn him back. If he gets past the stones, the water is deeper, and we shall lose him."

Philip and Fred closed in, but never put forth a hand to touch the pike.

Not so Harry, for he boldly made a dash at it, and caught hold of the slippery monster, who gave a flash with his tail, and was off yards away, with Harry in full pursuit; and this time, the water being shallower, he managed to give a good kick at the fresh-water shark, but only one, for the fish gave another shoot, and was gone.

"There's a brute!" said Harry. "He might just as well have been caught.

Wasn't he a thumper?"

"Let's get some water-cresses and take home," said Phil.

"Where are there any?" said Fred, who had never seen them growing before.

"Why, here, all about; here's lots and lots."

So the lads set to, and picked a goodly bunch a piece, Philip remembering, too, a little bouquet of forget-me-nots for his mother; and then, landing on the opposite side, they strolled up the river to see if they could see Harry's friend, the pike, but, no! he was invisible; and not to be wondered at, after the manner in which he had been treated.

Still, though there was no pike, there was plenty else to be seen, for the fish were rising all over the river; and out in the bright calm places great chub were lazily basking in the warm sun. On every shallow, shoals of roach and dace appeared, and rushed out in silvery squadrons over the pebbly bottom; while the minnows and gudgeon seemed as though they had been drilled, so regularly and closely they kept together as they darted out into the middle of the river.

Plenty to be seen? Ay, plenty; pretty little reed-warblers twittering and chattering in amongst the strands which formed their waving home; and every now and then the little bearded t.i.ts made their appearance, but only to dart out of sight again in a moment. High over head sang the lark, "trill--trill--trill;" and the soft sweetness of the morning seemed to pervade everything. Now and then red and orange billed moor-hens would lead their dusky little broods from amongst the reeds, and after a short swim, lead them in again when they saw that they were watched. Plenty to see? Ay! so much, that the water, the sky, and the green banks took away every thought of the water-bottle and the village, and even of breakfast, till all of a sudden Harry burst out--

"Oh, I'm so jolly hungry! let's turn back."