"Your nose is bleeding, and oh! you'll have such a black eye! And your shirt is torn, and your collar bursted away!"
"Shut up," growled Jack; "he was like a bullet to hit. I believe he must have a wooden body. Let's find a stream of water, and then I can wash my face!"
They went into another field and found a stream. When Jack had put himself tidy he said slowly—
"Do you know I think we'd better go home. It isn't going to be much fun to-day, I can see. We ought to have had heaps of adventures, and we haven't had one."
"All right! It must be nearly tea-time. I do hope Bumps is all right!"
They trudged home. Jill would not acknowledge that the day had been a failure, but then she had not been vanquished in a fight. Jack had, and his spirit as well as his body was sore in consequence.
It was four o'clock when they reached home. They stole softly up-stairs, but were met by Miss Falkner on the top landing.
She looked at them in silence, then she said—
"I hope you have both enjoyed your day."
Jack shuffled into his room and shut his door without a word.