"Who,--Aunt Cora? You bet she did! I put him in the bath-tub to give him a swim in the mornin', an' I forgot him when I went to breakfast, an' then right after breakfast I had to go down town to get a yeast-cake, an' Aunt found him swimmin' round in the tub, an' she said 'twas horrid to have turtles in the tub, an' she wanted to know when I put him there, an' so she found out I'd had him under the pillow all night, an' she was awful mad! I thought she was goin' to lick me, but she didn't. I didn't dare tell her I'd had another one up there the night before,--the little black one. He's a jim-dandy,--the best turtle I've got. His name is Pete." I agreed that Pete was a very desirable turtle. And I put in a request. "Tell me if your Aunt makes you put 'em back in the pond, will you?" "She won't. She said I could keep 'em, but I can't bring 'em inside the house. Gee! She's been awful cross lately, though. Last night again. An' Uncle, too. We went in swimmin' out to Four Rocks,--I mean I did, an' Ben Spauldin', an' Harry Fletcher, an'--" "How'd you go?" I interrupted; "out the railroad?" "No, we got a ride on Dole's wagon to the green, an' then went out the middle road. While we were in the water, two fellers came along, an' grabbed most of my clothes, an' Ben's, an' run up across the track, an' chucked 'em into Mr. Harris' shanty, an' then run off laughin'; an' I run up to get 'em, an' just as I got up on the road Aunt an' Uncle came drivin' along with Mr. Benton, an' they were mad as hops 'cos I didn't have anythin' on, an' Uncle was goin' to make me get into the carriage an' get under a robe, till I told him my clothes were in the shanty." "What did he say?" "He said I'd ought to have taken better care of my clothes, an' Aunt said it was disgraceful runnin' round stark naked on the road, an' she was mortified to death, an' I couldn't go in swimmin' any more if I didn't behave, an'--oh, darn it all, is that two o'clock?" It was certainly two. The North Church clock struck the hour distinctly. "I s'pose I'll have to go in, now," he announced sorrowfully. I was about to ask the reason, when the voice of Mrs. Vincent, Horace's aunt, came from behind the closed shutters of a window. "Horace!" "Oh, I don't want to come in now!" "Horace!" "Well, I don't, Aunt. Sam Edwards is here, and we've got to build this turtle-pen." "HORACE!" "I can't leave Sam here all alone, Aunt. 'Twouldn't be polite." "Horace, come in the house instantly. You may bring Samuel with you." "Oh, he don't want to come." "_Doesn't_ want to come, you mean. Wouldn't you like to hear me read to Horace, Samuel?" I was greatly interested in the turtles, but I was also fond of being read to. Apparently I was going to lose the company of Horace, anyhow. Moreover, I was afraid of Horace's aunt. So I meekly said:-- "Yes'm." But Horace still raised objections. "We can't leave the turtles like this Aunt,--they'll all get away."