glee; but Ready was very much displeased with him.

"You did very wrong, William, to run the risk which you did. If you
were resolved to catch fish, why did you not tell me, and I would have
gone with you? You say, yourself, that the fish nearly hauled you into
the water; suppose it had done so, or suppose a small shark instead of
one of these gropers (as we call them) had taken the bait, you must
have been jerked in; and the rocks are so steep there, that you would
not have been able to get out again before a shark had hold of you.
Think a moment what would have been the distress of your father and the
agony and despair of your poor mother, when this news should have
arrived."

"I was very wrong, Ready," replied William, "now that I think of it;
but I wanted to surprise and please my mother."

"That reason is almost sufficient to plead your pardon, my dear boy,"
replied Ready; "but don't do so again. And now let us say no more about
it; nobody will know that you have been in danger, and there's no harm
done; and you mustn't mind an old man scolding you a little."

"No, indeed, Ready, I do not, for I was very thoughtless; but I had no
idea that there was danger."

"There's your mother coming out of her tent," replied Ready.
"Good-morning, madam. Do you know what William has done for you last
night? Look, here are two beautiful fish, and very excellent eating
they are, I can tell you."

"I am quite delighted," replied Mrs. Seagrave.