“And you knocked him about too, I suppose?” said Sir Francis.
“Yes, I suppose I did, sir. He hurt me, and I was in a passion.”
“Now, Philip, what have you to say?”
Philip looked uneasy as he glanced at his brother and then at Sir Francis.
“Well, go on, sir.”
“We were up by the big con—”
“Yes, yes, we have heard all about that,” cried Sir Francis.
“Yes, pa; and we heard whistles, and Courtenay said, ‘What’s that?’”
“I thought it was you said ‘What’s that?’”
“No, pa, it was Courtenay,” cried the boy quickly: “he said it. And then I wanted to go down and catch the thieves, and Courtenay came too, and we could hear them shaking down the pears. Then I went one way and Courtenay went the other, and I saw that new labourer—that man—”