One afternoon Cameron said: "Let us take a walk to Prospect Pond; I think I should enjoy a little rowing."
"I will accompany you with pleasure, Mr. Cameron," said Herbert, "but don"t ask me to go out in the boat with you."
"Why not? Are you afraid I will upset you?"
"No," answered Herbert; "I have confidence in your skill. Besides, I can swim."
"What is your objection, then?" "If the boat belonged to anyone but James Leech I would not mind."
"Why should you mind that?"
"I met him last evening and he told me not to get into his boat again.
He said he was perfectly willing you should use it, but he didn"t choose to have me."
"It appears that I am a greater favorite with James Leech than you are," said Cameron, smiling.
"He looks down upon me as a poor boy."
"Well, I suppose James is ent.i.tled to his prejudice; but if you can"t use the boat, I won"t."
"Don"t let that interfere with your pleasure, Mr. Cameron," said Herbert, eagerly. "I don"t trouble myself in the least about the way James treats me."
"Let us go down to the pond, at any rate. We can sit down on the bank, if nothing better." "All right."
An easy walk brought them to the edge of the pond. Herbert naturally looked for James Leech"s boat. He thought something was the matter with his eyes, for where there should be but one boat there were now two.
"Why, there"s another boat!" he exclaimed.
"Is there?" asked Cameron, indifferently.
"Yes, don"t you see it?"
"Well, it does look like a boat, I admit. I should say it was nicer than the other."
"I should say it was. Isn"t she a regular beauty?" exclaimed Herbert, enthusiastically. "I wonder whose it is? James wouldn"t want two."
There was a smile on Cameron"s face that attracted Herbert"s attention.
"Is it yours?" he asked.
"No; I know who owns it, though."
"It isn"t the landlord, is it?"
"No."
"Then I can"t imagine whose it is," said Herbert.
"Can"t you?"
"No," said Herbert. "Will you tell me?"
"It is yours!"
"Mine!" exclaimed our hero, in the utmost surprise,
"Yes; I intended at first not to give it to you till I went away; but I may as well give it now, on one condition--that you let me use it whenever I please."
"How kind you are!" said Herbert, gratefully. "I never received such a splendid present in my life. I have done nothing to deserve it,"
"Let me be the judge of that. Now, with your consent, we will try her."
With the utmost alacrity Herbert followed Cameron aboard the new craft, and took the oars. Smoothly and easily the boat glided off on the surface of the pond.
"I like it much better than James"," said Herbert.
"It"s a better model. His is rather clumsy. Besides, this is new and he must have had his for some time."
"He has had it three years."
"It needs painting."
"Even if it were painted it wouldn"t come up to this."
"I agree with you," said Cameron. "I am afraid James will be stirred with envy when he sees your boat."
"I am afraid so, too. He won"t believe it is mine."
"It may be your duty, out of a delicate regard to his feelings, to give it up, or exchange," suggested Cameron.
"That"s a little further than I carry my delicate regard to his feelings," responded Herbert.
After half an hour"s rowing, Cameron said, suddenly: "I must go back to the hotel. I came near forgetting an important letter, which must be sent off by this afternoon"s mail."
Herbert was a little disappointed, still he said, cheerfully: "All right, Mr. Cameron."
"Don"t you cease your rowing," said the collegian.
"I thought you might not like to walk back alone."
"I don"t mind that. I shall hurry back, and should be poor company. We will meet to-morrow morning."
Cameron set out on his return home. He had gone less than quarter of a mile when he met James Leech.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Cameron," said James, who was always polite to the rich manufacturer"s son.
"Good afternoon, James."