“Here, Shock!” I cried in answer to the shout on my right, and the boy came running up.
“Got him?”
“No,” I replied. “He climbed up the wall and kicked me backwards. Didn’t you catch one?”
“No. They skiddled off like rabbuts, and the one I tried to run down dodged me in the dark, and when I heerd him he was close up to the fence t’other side, and got away. Didn’t I give it some of ’em though!”
“Oh! I do wish we had caught one,” I exclaimed; and then I felt as if I did not wish so, especially as the boy I had chased was George Day.
“They didn’t get the pears,” said Shock suddenly; and now it struck me that we had suddenly grown to be wonderfully talkative, and the best of friends.
“No,” I replied, “I don’t think they got the pears. Let’s go and see.”
We trudged off, I for my part feeling very stiff, and as if all the excitement had gone out of the adventure; and in a minute we were feeling about under the pear-trees, and kicking against fallen fruit.
“Here she is,” said Shock suddenly. “Big bag. Stodge full.”
I ran to him, and was in the act of passing my hands over the bulging bag when I uttered a faint cry of horror, for something soft seemed to have dropped upon my back, and a voice from out of the darkness exclaimed: