right to protect his father's property, but he might have been more
civil. Now shake hands, and have done with it."

"Not shake hands with a low boy," growled Francis. But happily
Conrade was of a freer spirit, and in spite of Rachel's interference,
had sense enough to know himself in the wrong. He held out his hand,
and when the ceremony had been gone through, put his hands in his
pockets, produced a shilling, and said, "There, that's in case I did
the thing any harm." Rachel would have preferred Zachary's being
above its acceptance, but he was not, and she was thankful that a
wood path offend itself, leading through the Homestead plantations
away from the temptations and perils of the shore.

That the two boys, instead of listening to her remonstrance, took to
punching and kicking one another, was a mitigated form of evil for
which she willingly compounded, having gone through so much useless
interference already, that she felt as if she had no spirit left to
keep the peace, and that they must settle their little affairs
between themselves. It was the most innocent diversion in which she
could hope to see them indulge. She only desired that it might last
them past a thrush's nest, in the hedge between the park and
plantation, a somewhat treasured discovery of Grace's. No such good
luck. Either the thrush's imprudence or Grace's visits had made the
nest dangerously visible, and it was proclaimed with a shout.
Rachel, in hot haste, warned them against taking birds'-nests in
general, and that in particular.

"Nests are made to be taken," said Francis.

"I've got an egg of all the Australian birds the Major could get me,"