I crept out, and had perforce to sit in the sun to dry, praying earnestly lest any other members of the surrounding families should come that way.
Tommy was in high spirits.
"It's done you lots of good," he said.
I glared at him.
"What do you mean?" I asked coldly, for his words seemed suggestive.
"You look so jolly fresh," he observed, dressing himself leisurely.
I felt that it was time I returned, and invited Tommy to partake of lunch with me. He declined, however, as he had thoughtfully provided himself with food, before starting out with the poet.
"So long," he said.
As I glanced up the brook, before returning homewards, I saw a sailor hat, navigating a small rapid.
"But I have no walking-stick," I reflected. "And it is in the middle of the stream."