“I didn’t make up to him, only I can’t be sorry to be friends with him—”

“Well, I hope you won’t be sorry now you’ve done it. Take care what you’re about, that’s all.”

Charlie was again perplexed to understand why Halliday seemed to have such a dislike to poor Tom.

Just as he was going off to bed Joe stopped him and asked,—

“By the way, shall you be using your watch to-morrow?”

“Well, I promised I’d take it, to see how the time went; but I dare say we could do without it, and I would like to lend it to you, Halliday.”

“Not a bit of it,” replied the other. “I can do without it as well as you. I am going to walk over to Whitstone Woods and back.”

“Hullo, that’s a long trot,” said Charlie. “It must be nearly thirty miles.”

“Something like that,” said Joe. “Walcot and I are going to make a day of it.”

“Which way do you go?”