Grit said nothing, but his mouth closed firmly, and his eyes sparkled with anger. He waited till Phil was within earshot, and then he demanded sternly:
"What are you doing there with my boat, Phil Courtney?"
Phil would have resented Grit's tone, but he gloated over the triumphant answer he was able to make, and thought he would tantalize Grit a little.
"To what boat do you allude?" he asked, in a nonchalant tone.
"To what boat do I allude?" repeated Grit, provoked. "I allude to my boat, in which you are rowing."
"You are mistaken," said Phil composedly. "I am rowing in my own boat."
"Isn't that the Water Lily?" asked Jesse, coming to the help of his friend.
"It is at present. I shall change the name for one I like better."
"Look here, Phil Courtney!" said Grit indignantly, "this is carrying the joke a little too far. You have taken my boat without leave or license from me, and now you actually claim it as your own. Do you mean to say that isn't the boat I have been rowing on this river for the last year?"
"I never said it wasn't."