“Well, not if I could help it!”
“And didn’t you get into rows?”
“Oh—not much.” Rex shrugged his thin little shoulders. “She hardly ever told Mother, and if she did, I didn’t get much done to me, ’cause I was nearly always sick.” He paused, and his face grew red. “You know, I didn’t mind taking advantage of that then. It didn’t seem to matter, with old Miss Green. But if I did it now, with the twins, I’d feel awfully low-down.”
“I should think you would,” agreed Billy. “But then, you aren’t sick now, ever, so it wouldn’t be any good.”
“No. But I guess I wouldn’t do it, anyhow,” said Rex, reddening more deeply.
This was as far as soul-analysis would reasonably take small boys, and they fell silent, pitching dry grass-roots sleepily at the little brown lizards that ran over some big stones near them. Presently they grew tired of inaction, and went roaming along the river-bank. Rex had long ago fought down his fear of climbing; they “shinned up” wattle-trees in search of gum, and practised gymnastics on the low, swinging branches of other trees. Then a rabbit darted out of a hole near by, and they chased it wildly, dodging hither and thither among the stones: the chase coming to an end when the rabbit found another hole, and whisked down it with a final twist of his white tail. They wandered aimlessly back towards the ponies and Rex almost trod on a big black snake, which lay sunning itself in a dusty patch. He jumped back, with a little cry. It was the first snake he had seen, and he had all the town boy’s dread of the evil thing.
“Watch-him-while-I-get-a-stick!” said Billy, all in one word.
He darted aside, and in a moment came racing back with a stick. The snake was just slipping away through the grass; Billy brought down the stick with a quick blow that broke its back.
“Run, Billy! Oh, do run!” Rex cried, shrinking back from the creature that thrashed wildly round on the ground. He caught at Billy’s sleeve. “You’ll only be killed. Do run!”
“Run!” ejaculated Billy, in huge scorn. “Whatever for? He can’t move, bless you. He’s done—his back’s broken.”