“Soon? Why, I’m a quarter of an hour late. Be quick, the May-fly are up, and the trout feeding like mad, and as for the grayling, I saw the biggest—oh! do make haste.”
“Shan’t be long.”
“And Mark, tell Mary that father is going to bring Min up about twelve, and they are to meet us with the dinner-basket up by the alder weir. Well, why don’t you make haste and dress?”
“I was thinking,” said Mark, with a broad smile.
“What about?”
“Oh, here’s Dummy with the net,” cried Mark. “Hi! you sir! why didn’t you come and call me at the proper time?”
“Morn’, Master Ralph,” said the lad, with a friendly grin. Then with an ill-used look up at the window:
“’Tis proper time. You said six, and it aren’t that yet.”
“There,” cried Mark; “you are too soon.”
“Very well. It was so fine; but I say, what were you thinking about?”