'Shall I fail?' questioned a soft voice by his side.

'"Without Me ye can do nothing." That's our Captain's word: if you fight without Him, you are done for.'

'I think I shall sometimes let Ipse have his way. Will that be deserting to the enemy?'

'It will be sure and certain defeat.'

'But then, of course, my Captain won't let me be beaten, if I stick close to Him.'

And so they talked, a strange couple; but the younger of them had a faith which the elder might envy, and a grasp of the unseen that the ripest saint could not surpa.s.s.

Not long after this, Teddy and his schoolfellows were having a delightful afternoon in the woods. It was Sat.u.r.day afternoon, and they were playing their favourite war game, Teddy, of course, being prime instigator of the whole affair. A few of the more adventurous girls had joined them, Nancy amongst them. Her respect for Teddy was gradually increasing, though nothing seemed to quench her self-a.s.sertion and independence of thought and action. At length Teddy announced his intention of going off on an expedition as a scout, and on Nancy's insisting that she should come too, the two children started, made their way out of the wood and down to the banks of the stream, which soon joined the river.

'What have we to do?' asked Nancy.

'It's great fun. You see, every one we meet is an enemy, and we have to get past them without them seeing us; we must crawl through the long gra.s.s, or we must climb a tree, or get through the bushes; all kinds of adventures we have.'

'And if we don't meet anybody?'

'That's why I came down this way: there are always a lot of people fishing in the river. Now look out, don't you talk loud, and step softly.

Just think that the first person who sees us will shoot us dead.'

'But they won't.'

'You must make believe they will.' Teddy's tone was stern, and Nancy was too occupied in holding her hat on her head as they crept through some low bushes to advance any more sceptical opinions.

And then suddenly, a short time after, they came upon a fisherman. It was only a burly farmer, who was evidently making a day of it, for he sat under the shade of a tree with the remnants of a substantial lunch around him; his fishing-rod was in his hand, but the line was out of the water, and he, with head thrown back and mouth wide open, was fast asleep.

'Hush!' said Teddy, in an excited whisper. 'If he wakes, all is up with us; now let's get past him on tiptoe.'

This was accomplished safely; but having pa.s.sed him Teddy stood still, and the spirit of mischief seized hold of him. Turning to Nancy, he said, with sparkling eyes, 'What fun to take him prisoner and tie him up to the tree with his own fishing-line! He's an enemy; I really think it's our duty to do it. You stay here and watch me.'

Deftly and quickly Teddy set to work, but when he had once pa.s.sed the line round the farmer's body and the tree, he had no difficulty in finishing the work he had begun. Dancing like an elf with the line in his hand, he spun round and round the tree till the line was wound round to its very last extremity, and the farmer looked like some big bluebottle fly entangled in the fine meshes of a spider's web. Still he slept on, and with a delighted chuckle Teddy sped back to his little companion; her eyes were dancing with mirth, and she clapped her hands at the successful exploit.

'He'll wake up and won't be able to get away. What fun! how I should like to see him!'

'Come on quick. He's Farmer Green, and he's an awful angry man; he gave Sam such a thrashing for tying an old saucepan to one of his pigs' tails.

He won't know who has done it, and I did tie the knots awful tight.'

Away they ran; but they had not proceeded far before Teddy came to a standstill, and all the saucy sparkle died out of his eyes.

'What's the matter?' asked Nancy. 'Have you got a pain?'

'I'm afraid I am going to have a fight with Ipse.'

The words were uttered almost in a whisper, and Nancy looked on with wonder.

'It isn't right,' he said, after a long pause. 'I do want--at least, Ipse wants--to leave him there awfully, but mother would say it was very naughty, and I think--I think my Captain doesn't like it. I shall have to go back and undo him.'

'Oh, you mustn't!' cried Nancy. 'You'll wake him up, and then you'll catch it! Let him undo himself!' Teddy shook his head, and then stole softly back to the tree, Nancy following him at a respectful distance.

It seemed a harder business to untie the knots than to tie them, but at length it was done, and the unwinding process began. Alas! Farmer Green's nap was over, and with a hasty start he was roused to the full use of his faculties. When he discovered his condition he swore a round oath, and turned upon Teddy in great wrath, as he vainly tried to extricate himself.

'Please, sir,' said Teddy, nothing daunted, 'if you keep still, I shall undo you very soon, and I won't break your line if I can help it.'

'You young scoundrel! how dare you show your face, after such an audacious piece of impudence! You're the plague of the parish, and a good thrashing is what you will get, sure as my name's Jonathan Green!'

Teddy's face was hot and red, and the spectacle of him trying to unwind the line from the struggling and exasperated farmer was so irresistibly comic to Nancy that she burst out laughing.

Jonathan Green was soon on his feet again, and seizing hold of Teddy by the collar, shook him like a terrier would shake a rat; then, without leaving go of him, he pulled out a piece of cord from his coat pocket.

'Now, I'll teach you a lesson, youngster, that you won't forget. It's lucky I've got this bit o' rope.'

And in another few minutes he had bound the boy securely to the tree, tying his hands together with his handkerchief; then, as Nancy stepped forward, indignant at this severe treatment, he turned upon her.

'There are two of you, are there? Well, you shall share the same fate till I think fit to release you. I'll teach you to stop playing such impish tricks on decent folk.'

'You're the wickedest man that's living, I'm sure!' cried Nancy wrathfully. 'Why, he was undoing you when you woke up, which was very kind of him. I wish he'd left you tied up, I do!'

But Farmer Green, with a grim smile of satisfaction, soon settled her in the same fashion as he had done the boy; and then, picking up his fishing-basket, strode away, calling out, 'Ye'll bide there my time, ye young limbs of mischief! It's only serving like ye serve!'

'b.u.t.ton-boy, did he hurt you?' asked Nancy anxiously; for all this time Teddy had not said a word.

He turned his head and looked at her. 'I feel shooken up dreadful, he's so awful strong; but I'm not very hurt, only I'm sorry, and I've been telling my Captain about it, and asking Him to forgive me.'

'Shall we stay here all the evening and all the night?'

'Oh no! he'll come and let us go soon. It isn't fair on you, for you didn't do anything.'

'I laughed at him, and I wanted you to leave him tied up. But I don't care, it doesn't hurt. You haven't told me ever what I asked you about Jesus' sailors. Tell me now, because I want to belong to your Captain, and I'm not going to be a soldier.'

'I did ask mother, and she said sailors were soldiers, they were sea soldiers. You'll have to be a soldier, I expect.'

'Sailors fight, I know they do. Grandfather read me about Nelson the other evening, and showed me a picture of sailors cutting the enemy's arms off, as they tried to scramble on board ship. I shan't never change to soldiers. Sailors are _much_ nicer. And if sailors fight, I can be a sailor for Jesus.'

Their conversation was interrupted by voices and steps approaching, and in another moment two ladies and a gentleman appeared, evidently going home after a fishing excursion. The path led past the tree, and they stopped in astonishment at the sight of the two children.

Teddy was the first to speak. He recognised the newcomers to be the squire, Colonel Graham, and his wife, with a visitor staying with them.

'Please, sir, will you undo us?' he asked appealingly.

The colonel laughed heartily. 'Ah! young fellow, you're caught, are you?

Lady Helen, this is one of the young hopefuls in our village, I have been told the ringleader in every bit of mischief set going! You wouldn't think it to look at him, would you?'

'What an angel's face!' said that lady admiringly. 'And who is the little girl? she looks a regular little gipsy!'

Neither of the children appreciated these remarks, but the colonel good-naturedly put down his fishing-basket and cut the piece of rope that bound them.

'Now, then, youngster!' he said, 'speak up and tell us who bound you in this fashion, and what have you been doing to merit such punishment?'