Mrs. Coker agreed to this. So an hour later saw Mr. Coker start for Westhill with his two younger children, who plied him with questions about the stranger all the way.
"He has come to stay," Mr. Coker told them, "for Farmer Wills is now his guardian. Poor little orphan! You must be very kind to him. He is only eight years old, and he has been at a boarding school for two years."
"At boarding school!" the children echoed in amazement.
"Yes. When his father's regiment was ordered to South Africa, he was placed in a school, and there he remained till Colonel Wills was invalided home from the war."
On reaching Westhill, they were informed that the farmer was out, and that Master Bob was in the orchard. Mr. Coker went into the house to have a chat with Mrs. Wills, after having suggested that Nellie and Rupert should find Bob and make themselves known to him, with which proposition they readily agreed.
Crossing the yard, therefore, the children passed into the orchard beyond, and looked around in search of Bob. He was not visible, however, and they were retracing their footsteps when an apple, flung not over gently hit Rupert on the shoulder; and the next moment there was a rustling overhead, and a blue-eyed, fair-haired boy dropped from the lower branch of a tree into the long orchard grass.
"Fancy you not seeing me!" he cried. "And most of the leaves are down too!"
Then as neither of the others spoke, he continued, laughing merrily: "That was a good shot of mine, wasn't it?"
"Did you mean to hit me?" Rupert inquired, rubbing his shoulder.
"Rather! Did it hurt you?"