"No one told you to speak," said the boy sharply, turning on him, "so you
shut up."
"But what was he doing out on the pond in such a storm?" asked Jasper. His
lips were white, but he didn't allow his eyes to waver, for it was better
to have the whole story before getting back to his father.
"It didn't rain till after we'd had the row," said the boy.
"Had the row?" It seemed an eternity to Jasper, for Joel perhaps even now
might be in peril, before the next question was answered, "What row?"
"Yes," said the boy, as if he were going to add, "Well, what are you going
to do about it?" The next moment, he had made up his mind to tell all there
was to tell. It wasn't exactly clear why, but he was giving the account in
a very few words, leaving it where it ended with his seeing Joel rowing off
down the pond.
And presently the two who had hopped out of the carriage, with the new boy
and the one who had thrust his head in over the door, were seated in the
brougham, and Thomas had turned his back on the city streets and was
driving off at a furious pace for Spy Pond.
Frick collapsed now and mumbled distractedly, "Oh, dear! now Joel's----"
what, he didn't trust himself to say. "And Larry's 'most killed, and----"
Jasper interrupted him sharply, "What do you say, Frick?" for it was the
first hint of anything gone wrong with any of the other boys.
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