"Take them and welcome."
Mr. Crane took the oars, and, though he was at first awkward, he soon showed that he had not altogether forgotten his old skill.
"Well, I can row a little," he said, complacently.
"Yes, Mr. Crane, you can row better than Abel. He went out with me a day or two ago, and upset the boat."
"Did he tumble out?" asked Mr. Crane, laughing.
"Yes; and as he can't swim, he might have drowned if I hadn't got hold of him."
"Did he thank you for saving his life?"
"No."
"And he never will. It isn't in his nature."
"So far from that, he tried to make out that I upset the boat by moving about in it. That's what he told his mother to account for his wet clothes."