“The farmer’s wife treated us to all the buttermilk we could swallow,” observed Fred Bonnicastle, another of the returned pilgrims. “She said we could have gallons of it if only we had some way of carrying it back with us, which we didn’t—only in us.”
Lunch was prepared with the customary breezy accessories in the way of directions called back and forth. Mr. Holwell seemed just the same as usual. If he felt his late loss keenly he knew how to hide his feelings, so that he might not cause the spirits of his boys to droop.
One lad, however, said nothing. This was Asa Gardner. Dick could not help noticing that the boy heaved a deep sigh every little while, when he thought no one was noticing him.
“He certainly looks unhappy,” Dick told himself, as once more suspicions began to force themselves into his mind, though he hurriedly put them aside, remembering the promise he had made to Mr. Holwell to believe in Asa and help him all he possibly could.
The three berry pickers had returned with full buckets. They reported the supply of berries as literally inexhaustible. Still it could be seen that they were beginning to wonder where the fun of their outing was to come in if they had to spend most of their time in doing this sort of work.
“On Monday,” Dick told Mr. Holwell and Mr. Bartlett, “I’ll give some of the fellows a tip, and see if many hands won’t make light work. We’d all like to pick berries for a while, I expect, and every quart will count so much to their score. And I’ve an idea Mr. Nocker means to see that they get a price for those berries that no one ever had before.”
“That’s the right spirit to show,” Mr. Holwell remarked as he placed a hand affectionately on Dick’s shoulder.
It happened that a little while after lunch Dick wandered down to the landing to take a look at one of the boats which had been reported as leaking again. He believed he knew of a way in which it could be mended so as to stay dry and serviceable.
He turned the boat upside-down; and, while stooping over examining the bottom of the flat craft, he heard some one coming. Turning his head he saw it was Asa Gardner. Like a flash it struck Dick that the other wanted to say something to him in secret, and was taking this chance when no one else was near.
A chill gripped Dick’s heart. He seemed to feel that something dreadful was coming, though he could not guess its nature as yet.