though not overburdened with flesh, was stiffer in his joints than he had been twenty years before, and this operated against him. Besides, it was slippery where he started to jump, and the result was that he landed in the middle of the ditch where he floundered in the miry water in a woeful condition.
Septimus came up directly, for he was third in the race.
“Where are you, pa?” he asked.
“Don’t you see where I am?” demanded Mr. Snowdon sharply. “Help me out of this quagmire!” Rather reluctantly Septimus extended his hand, for his father’s hand as well as his clothes were bedabbled with mire, and Mr. Snowdon nearly pulled him in, in his efforts to extricate himself from the ditch.
“You’re all over mud, pa!” said Septimus, surveying the sorry plight of his sire.
Just across the ditch stood Bernard, he had come to a halt, and calmly eyed his would-be captor.
“It’s your fault, you young scoundrel!” cried Mr. Snowdon in a fury, his wrath increased by the knowledge that Bernard was as neat and clean as when he started. “If it hadn’t been for you I shouldn’t have been in this plight.”
“I don’t see how I could help it, sir. You shouldn’t have tried to jump over the ditch.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I wanted to get away from you.”
“Jump back at once!”
A smile stole over Bernard’s face.
“I shouldn’t dare to,” he answered. “I might fall in as you have.”
“And serve you right! I order you to jump.”
“Suppose I do, and get safe over?”
“I will flog you within an inch of your life,” said Mr. Snowdon rather imprudently.
“That isn’t inducement enough,” said Bernard. “I guess I had better stay where I am.”
“You needn’t think you will escape the whipping. You may put it off, but you’ll have to take it sooner or later.”
Evidently Mr. Snowdon thought it best to put off punishing Bernard for the present. He was so bespattered with mud that it was necessary to go home and change his clothing. Septimus was very sorry for this decision, as he had been looking forward with pleasant anticipation to seeing Bernard flogged.
“You ain’t goin’ to let him off, pa, are you?” he asked.
“No,” answered Mr. Snowdon, with a vengeful look. “The longer it’s put off, the harder I’ll lay it on when the time comes.”
Satisfied with this assurance Septimus followed his father home. As from time to time he glanced at the figure of his parent he could not help reflecting that Mr. Snowdon was not a father to be proud of. He never looked attractive, but under present circumstances he looked more unsavory than usual.
Left alone Bernard did not leap back across the ditch, but taking a course to the right emerged into the main road about half a mile from Mr. Snowdon’s house.
He took a short cut to the home of his friend Nat Barclay, whom he made acquainted with the catastrophe that had befallen Mr. Snowdon.
Nat laughed – he could hardly help it – as he pictured to himself the miry and bedraggled condition of his old teacher.
“I am afraid he’ll try to get even with you, Bernard,” he said apprehensively.
“No doubt he would if he got a chance.”
“But he can’t help having plenty of chances as you live in his house.”
“But I am not going to live there any longer, Nat.”
“What do you mean?”
“I shall run away.”
“You won’t do that, will you, Bernard? What will your guardian say? You have no one else to depend upon.”
“I don’t know.”
“But this is serious, Bernard.”
“I have myself.”
“But what can a boy of fifteen do?”
“He can support himself. At any rate, he can try. The fact is, Nat, I don’t think Mr. McCracken a friend of mine. I may go to him, and ask if he will make any other arrangements for me. If he won’t, I will make them for myself.”
“What will you do to-night, Bernard?”
“I will go back to Mr. Snowdon’s – creep up to my room, if I have a chance, get out a bundle of clothes, and sleep in the barn. In the morning I can start early, and – ”
“Where will you go?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Mr. Snowdon was in the habit of retiring early, and so were his family. Generally at nine o’clock they were in bed. When nine o’clock came he told Septimus to lock the door.
“But suppose Bernard comes back?”
“He can sleep out of doors for one night. It will teach him a lesson.”
He didn’t know that Bernard had already visited the house, made up a bundle of clothing, and withdrawn to the barn, where he had found a comfortable resting place on one of the lofts of hay.
It was Bernard’s intention to get up early in the morning and make his escape before Mr. Snowdon or any of his family were astir.
But a healthy boy, who is a good sleeper, cannot always fix the time of awaking. For some reason Bernard slept on till half-past seven o’clock. Septimus had occasion to go to the barn, and discovered him still asleep. He ran into the house in great excitement.
“Pa,” he said, “Bernard is asleep in the barn. I seed him.”
Occasionally Septimus, though the son of a teacher, made grammatical mistakes.
“Is he asleep?” asked Mr. Snowdon in a tone of interest.
“Yes, pa.”
“The Lord has delivered him into my hands. I will not neglect the opportunity to chastise him.”
“He may wake up when you are getting up.”
“I will take you with me to hold the ladder.”
“He might stick me with the pitchfork,” said Septimus, who was a coward at heart.
“Then I will take Bridget.”
Bridget was the kitchen drudge. She was rather a stupid girl, who stood in fear of her employer.
They went to the barn together. Mr. Snowdon went up the ladder, whip in hand, Bridget holding the ladder. He mounted the opposite scaffold, and prepared to cross to the other, when Bernard, who had been aroused by the sound of voices, made his appearance, cap in hand, and asked composedly: “What are you after, Mr. Snowdon?”
“I’m after you, Bernard Brooks,” answered Mr. Snowdon grimly.
CHAPTER IV. A ROAD SIDE ACQUAINTANCE
The position was critical. Bernard was tall and muscular for his age, but of course he was not a match for the teacher.
He was, however, cool and collected, and not at all nervous. He maintained his ground till Mr. Snowdon, with slow and cautious steps, had crossed the narrow bridge, and then ran to the back part of the loft.
The schoolmaster followed him as well as he could, but in his impetuosity he lost his balance and fell on the hay.
Bernard made a dash for the plank. Seeing him coming, Bridget was seized with a panic and hastily dismounted from the ladder.
Bernard took advantage of this, and descending to the barn floor, seized the ladder and carried it out of doors, leaving Professor Snowdon a prisoner in the barn loft.
Septimus, who was prudently standing just outside, called out, in alarm, “Where’s my pa? What have you done to him?”
Bernard