Will of the Mill | Page 7

growled Will. "I say, Mr Manners, this
is bad manners, you know; you do hurt awfully."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the artist, boisterously. "Fished it up with an
eel-hook? Well, I suppose I am heavy. Look here, if I let you get up,
will you fish it down?"
"Won't promise," growled Will.
"All right; I believe you will," and he rolled off, leaving the boys at
liberty to spring up, Josh to begin rubbing himself all over, Will to dash
to the first big stone, catch it up, and make an offer as if to throw it at
the artist's head.
The latter blew a cloud of smoke at the passionate-looking lad, and sat
looking him full in the face.
"All right," he said, coolly; "chuck!"

Will raised the stone as high as he could, and hurled it with all his
might high in the air so that it should fall with a heavy splash into the
pool below.
"Ha!" cried the artist. "Feel better now?"
"Yes," said Will, brushing himself down. "But I say, Mr Manners, you
are a jolly weight."
"Yes, I suppose I am. I say, I'm going to have a try after the trout
to-night. Where had I better go?"
"Likely I'm going to tell you after serving me like this!"
"Of course it is. I was going to ask you to come."
"Will you ask me, if I do?"
"Likely I'm going to ask you after serving my gamp like that!"
"Oh, I'll soon get that down," replied Will, cheerily. "Here! you go,
Josh. I put it up. I'm tired now; I had all his weight on me."
"Well, but I had all his weight and yours too, and I'm sore all over."
"You can't be," said Will. "You must be sore all under, for you were at
the bottom."
"Oh, but I can't, Will. I feel as if I was tired out."
"All right," cried Will, "I'll go;" and, springing up, he scampered down
to the level where the easel and canvas still stood, and climbed up as
the others followed more slowly; and a few minutes later the umbrella
came parachute-like down, to be folded up by its owner. Will
shouldered the easel, Josh tucked the canvas under his arm, and they all
walked up-stream together as if nothing had happened, towards
Drinkwater's attractive little cottage, which formed the temporary home
of the lover of rustic art, and discoursing the while about the
red-spotted beauties whose haunts Will was to point out that evening

after tea.
The cottage with its pretty garden was reached, and the boys handed
their loads to the owner.
"What time will you be here?" he said.
"We ought to start at five," replied Will, "but we can't get here till
nearly six, because Josh is going to have tea with me."
"Look here, both of you come up and have tea with me. Mrs
Drinkwater shall put two extra cups."
"Mean it?" cried Will.
"Mean it?" said the bluff artist. "Why, of course!"
The next minute the boys were walking down together towards the
mill.
"Say, Josh," said Will, thoughtfully, "he isn't such a bad fellow, after
all."
"No," said josh, dubiously, "but he's an awful weight."
CHAPTER FOUR.
LOST ON THE TOR.
"Well, go and ask Mr Manners to come up, then," said Mr Willows,
one morning a few days later, as Will and Josh stood waiting; "that is,"
he went on, "if you really think that he would like to come. I should be
very pleased to see him. But don't worry the man."
"Oh, I'm sure he would, father," said Will; "wouldn't he, Josh?"
"Yes," said Josh, quickly. "I know he's been wanting to see the place."
"He's thrown out hints," said Will.

"Oh, has he?" said the mill-owner, with a smile. "Thrown out hints, eh?
Well, I shall be delighted to see him. But I thought you two chaps were
not on very good terms with him."
"Oh yes, father; it's all right now. Of course we thought that he was
only a painter, but he is really a splendid chap. Come on, Josh; we'll get
him to come up now."
"Only a painter," said Mr Willows, with a laugh, as he looked after
them.
The two lads started for the cottage where the artist, who was making
picture after picture of the neighbourhood, took his meals--when, that is,
he did not picnic in the open, which was fairly frequently--and where
he slept--and one could sleep in that crisp mountain air.
"No, my dears," said Mrs Drinkwater, who had come down to the little
white gate to speak to them, "Mr Manners is out, I am very sorry."
"Oh!" said Will.
"Where's he gone?" asked Josh.
"He went off very early this morning, sir," said the woman.