First in the Field | Page 5

tell you."
"Oh, all right, I've done; but I suppose I may say I'm very sorry for him."
"No, you mayn't," cried Nic. "Here, come on back, Greeny; we've had it out, but we needn't be bad friends. I'm sorry we fought; you'll shake hands, won't you?"
Green made no movement, and Nic drew closer and held out his hand again.
"Come on," he said; "I'm sorry now; shake hands."
But Green did not move. He sat there crouched together, till Tomlins went behind him.
"He's asleep," cried the little fellow. "I'll give him a job like he gave me, and wake him up."
Green spun round upon the bottom of his spine and faced his little tormentor, who started back with a cry of mock alarm.
"Here, hi, Nic!" he shouted. "Hold him back. He's going to bite."
Nic made a rush, not to protect Tomlins, but to seize him and drag him away.
"If you tease him again, I'll kick you too," he whispered. "Let him be; he's beaten. You don't want to hit him now he's down."
"Yes, I do," said the boy, struggling to free himself. "I owe him a lot, and it isn't safe to hit him when he's not down. Oh, I say, don't; you're hurting me."
"Serve you right. Come away."
"Here, boys, help!" cried Tomlins, making a grimace. "Convict's setting up for--Ah!"
He did not have time to finish his sentence, for Nic caught him sharply by the shoulders and gave him an angry shake.
"If you say that again, I'll serve you worse than Green did. No, I won't;" he said in repentance. "There, go on back."
The boy was silenced, and in a startled way joined his schoolfellows, while Nic once more went close up to Green.
"Let me help you up," he said. "Here, shake hands, Green. It was only a fight, and you might have won."
There was no answer, and Nic took his adversary by the arm, half forcing him to rise; but Green did not turn his head, nor raise his face to gaze in that before him, though he unresistingly allowed himself to be helped along the side of the hedge, so as to reach the lane that led to the high road and the village, at one end of which the park-like grounds of the doctor's establishment stood.
"He'll come round soon," thought Nic. "He's sure to feel sore after such a licking."
"I say, isn't old Convict a rum one," whispered one of the boys who had been seconds.
"Well, he always was," said the other. "What do you mean?"
"Why giving Green a licking, and then going to help him like that."
The other boy looked at the battered pair, and let them pass on in front, following afterwards with the others.
"It's the proper thing to do, isn't it?"
"Yes, with some fellows," said Tomlins, who was listening. "I should do it to either of you chaps if I'd licked you."
The pair looked at each other and laughed.
"Hark at Mouse Tomlins," said one of them.
"Ah, you wait. I shall get bigger some day, and then I shall do just as Convict Braydon does; but I shouldn't to old Green. You see if he don't hit foul before long, and serve poor old Convict out."
"Don't you be so fond of calling him Convict; he doesn't like it," said Braydon's second.
"Well, he shouldn't be a convict then," retorted the boy.
"And you shouldn't be a cocky, conceited little donkey," said the elder boy.
"But I'm not," said the little fellow, laughing; and then wincing and crying, "Oh, my leg!"
"And he's not a convict."
"But Gooseberry Green says his father is, and that he was sent over to Botany Bay, and that's what makes poor old Braydon so mad."
"His father and mother are both out there somewhere, because Nic told me so, and he says he's going out there some day; but his father can't be a convict, or else he wouldn't be at a good school like this. It's all Green's disagreeableness."
"I'm jolly glad he has got a licking," said the other, "though I seconded him; but I wish he hadn't spoiled our afternoon. If Nic Braydon would come too, I'd go and get into the Hurst. The doctor won't be back for two hours safe, and he's sure not to send for us till eight o'clock. Let's get him to come."
"Well, you ask him."
The boy hurried on and overtook the adversaries.
"Here, Nic Braydon, let him go on by himself. We're going to finish the afternoon together. We don't see any fun in going back yet."
Nic turned his face to his companion, who burst out laughing--a laugh in which he was joined by the others as they came up, Tomlins being the most facetious.
"I say, look at his open eye," cried the little fellow, "and the crack on his lip. I say, don't laugh, Nic; it'll hurt. Don't he look like