Teddy stood still till he came up to him, then looked up frankly at him.

'Indeed, sir, I was trying to drive them back through their hole again.
Look, that's where they broke through.'

'A likely story! Much more probable you made the hole yourself.'

Teddy's blood rushed into his face. 'I never tell a lie!' he cried, 'and
you're a--'

He stopped, and hung his head in shame at the word that almost
slipped from him.

Jonathan Green looked curiously at him.

'Now may I ask what the end of that speech was going to be?' he
said grimly.

Teddy looked up. 'Ipse was going to say you was a liar yourself, but I
just stopped him in time.'

'I shall believe you have a bee in your bonnet, as some folks say,' said
the farmer; 'pray, if the sheep came out of their proper field, what
business was that of yours?'

'I wanted to be good to you. I'm sorry I tied you up that day, dreadful
sorry. And I've got to love you, so I thought it would be a good plan to
send your sheep back again.'