"Aw, g'wan!" said he. "I cooked enough to make up for it, I guess. Why, I stopped two or three times and cooked something. You don't suppose a feller can climb mountains without eatin', do you?" "I didn't eat much," said Bill with a grin, "but I wanted to." "I think Gabriel is right," laughed Mr. Norton. "Besides it sometimes is harder to work folks for a meal than it is to cook it, yourself." "Anyhow," Skinny told him, "I didn't get to Richmond's in time for that dinner and I paid for those other meals. I rescued the girl the first time, didn't I? That ought to be good for a dinner. And to pay for my breakfast I carried in a lot of wood for the farmer's wife. She liked it so well that she said she would be glad to have me stay to dinner. There wasn't any chance to do any rescuing in Savoy, so I had to do something else." "That's business!" exclaimed Mr. Norton. "Pay as you go. Gabriel, my boy, you showed yourself a true Scout and I'm proud of you." He reached over and fastened a First Class Scout badge to Skinny's coat. "Maybe I am a little ahead of the game," said he, "but Gabriel is leader and I think that he has earned a badge. This seems to be the psychological moment to present it." Benny spoke up before we could stop him. "What's a skological moment?" said he. Say, that stumped Mr. Norton. He couldn't tell us. "I'd like very much to give you one, William," he went on, after a little, turning to Bill. "You showed yourself a hero and you have done everything except the hike. How would it do to give you the badge now, with the understanding that you will make good on the hike later, when you get well?" Skinny swelled all up when Mr. Norton gave him the badge, and I guess anybody would. He didn't know what to do or say at first, but in a minute he came to his senses. He jumped to his feet and gave the Scout salute. It was great to see him. "Fellers," said he, turning to us with his arms folded, while Mr. Norton looked on, wondering what was going to happen. "Who are going to be the best Boy Scouts in America, or England, either?" "We are!" we shouted. "Who is the best Scoutmaster that ever happened?" "Mr. Norton!" we yelled. "Who is great stuff, if he did sprain his ankle on Greylock?" "Bill Wilson!" "'Tis well. Everybody caw. Now!" There was some racket around that room when we turned ourselves loose. Bill sat there smiling and with his face all flushed up, he was so tickled over what Mr. Norton and Skinny had said. Then Mr. Norton pulled another badge out of his pocket and started to pin it on Bill's clothes. Bill stopped him. "It wouldn't be fair, Mr. Norton," said he. "I started out to do my hike and I didn't do it. I know that I did something which was harder but I didn't do that. I wouldn't feel right about wearing the badge until after I had made good." "What do you say, boys?" asked Mr. Norton, his eyes shining because he was so proud of Bill.