“Pigs don’t get in punts and pole themselves along the mere!”
“You didn’t see two men get in a punt and pole themselves along!”
“No, but I heard them quite plain.”
“Well, and suppose you did, what then?”
“I don’t know. Only I couldn’t sleep, and I was obliged to come over to you.”
“And wake me out of a beautiful sleep! What was that you threw in?”
“Stone!”
“Then now go back, and don’t come here in the night to get me into trouble! What’s the good of going and dreaming such stuff and then coming along the dark road to tell me? What’s that?”
Tom was going to say lightning as a brilliant flash made their faces quite plain for a moment, but before he could give the word utterance there was a heavy dull report as of a cannon, which seemed to run over the surface of the mere, and murmur among the reeds and trees.
“Why, it’s out at sea,” said Tom in a whisper. “It can’t be a wreck!”