This is what the doctor said, for he had been fetched and had felt Dick's pulse. He had looked very grave and shaken his head, saying that fever might supervene, and ended by prescribing a stimulus under another name, and a hot bath. "Just as if I hadn't sucked up water enough to last me for a month!" Dick had said. The people at the little hotel thought it unnecessary to send for a doctor, and when he came the doctor thought so too; but he omitted to make any remarks to that effect, contenting himself with looking very grave, and treating Dick as if his was a very serious case indeed. And now the patient was lying snugly tucked up in bed, with only his nose and one eye visible, with the exception of a tuft of his hair, and Arthur was undressing in the dark, and very carefully folding up his clothes. He had been deliberately undressing himself, brushing his hair, and going generally through a very niggling performance for nearly half an hour before Dick spoke, for the latter was enjoying the fun, as he called it, "of listening to old Taff muddling about in the dark, instead of jumping into bed at once." At last, however, he spoke: "I'm not asleep, Taff." "Not asleep!" cried his brother. "What! haven't you been asleep?" "No." "What! not all the time I've been undressing?" "No." "Then it was very deceitful of you to lie there shamming." "Didn't sham," said Dick. "Yes, you did, and pretended that you were very ill." "No, I didn't. I didn't want the doctor fetched." "But why did you pretend to be asleep?" "I didn't, I tell you. I only lay still and watched you fumbling about and taking so long to undress." "Oh, did you?" said Arthur haughtily. "Well, now lie still, sir, and go to sleep. You are ill." "No, I'm not," cried Dick cheerily; "only precious hot." "Then if you are not ill you ought to be ashamed of yourself," said Arthur pettishly; "causing papa so much anxiety." "Why, I think I behaved well," said Dick, chuckling to himself. "If I had taken you with me I should have given father twice as much trouble and worry." "Taken me! Why, I should not have gone," said Arthur haughtily; "and if you had not been so fond of getting into low company all this would not have happened." "Get out with your low company! There was nothing low about those two fishermen." "I only call one of them a boy," said Arthur, yawning. "Oh, very well: boy then. But I say, Taff, I wish you had been there." "Thank you. I was much better at home." "I mean while we were fishing. I caught such lovely mackerel, and a magnificent Polly something--I forget its name--all orange and gold and bronze, nine or ten pound weight." "Stuff!" said Arthur contemptuously. "But I did, I tell you." "Then where is it?" "Where is it? Oh, I don't know. When the steamer ran us down the fish and the tackle and all went overboard, I suppose. I never saw it again." "Then you lost all the sprats," said Arthur sneeringly.