"No," said Maggie. "How stodgy they look, Tom! Is it marls (marbles) or cob-nuts?" Maggie's heart sank a little, because Tom always said it was "no good" playing with her at those games, she played so badly. "Marls! no. I've swopped all my marls with the little fellows; and cobnuts are no fun, you silly--only when the nuts are green. But see here!" He drew something out of his right-hand pocket. "What is it?" said Maggie in a whisper. "I can see nothing but a bit of yellow." "Why, it's a new-- Guess, Maggie!" "Oh, I can't guess, Tom," said Maggie impatiently. "Don't be a spitfire, else I won't tell you," said Tom, thrusting his hand back into his pocket. "No, Tom," said Maggie, laying hold of the arm that was held stiffly in the pocket. "I'm not cross, Tom; it was only because I can't bear guessing. Please be good to me." Tom's arm slowly relaxed, and he said, "Well, then, it's a new fish-line--'two new uns--one for you, Maggie, all to yourself. I wouldn't go halves in the toffee and gingerbread on purpose to save the money; and Gibson and Spouncer fought with me because I wouldn't. And here's hooks; see here! I say, won't we go and fish to-morrow down by Round Pond? And you shall catch your own fish, and put the worms on, and everything. Won't it be fun!" Maggie's answer was to throw her arms round Tom's neck and hug him, and hold her cheek against his without speaking, while he slowly unwound some of the line, saying, after a pause,-- "Wasn't I a good brother, now, to buy you a line all to yourself? You know, I needn't have bought it if I hadn't liked!" "Yes, very, very good. I do love you, Tom." Tom had put the line back in his pocket, and was looking at the hooks one by one, before he spoke again. "And the fellows fought me because I wouldn't give in about the toffee." "Oh dear! I wish they wouldn't fight at your school, Tom. Didn't it hurt you?" "Hurt me? No," said Tom, putting up the hooks again. Then he took out a large pocket-knife, and slowly opened the largest blade and rubbed his finger along it. At last he said,-- "I gave Spouncer a black eye, I know--that's what he got by wanting to leather me; I wasn't going to go halves because anybody leathered me." "Oh, how brave you are, Tom! I think you're like Samson. If there came a lion roaring at me, I think you'd fight him; wouldn't you, Tom?" "How can a lion come roaring at you, you silly thing? There's no lions--only in the shows." "No; but if we were in the lion countries--I mean, in Africa, where it's very hot--the lions eat people there. I can show it you in the book where I read it." "Well, I should get a gun and shoot him." "But if you hadn't got a gun. We might have gone out, you know, not thinking, just as we go fishing; and then a _great_ lion might run towards us roaring, and we couldn't get away from him. What _should_ you do, Tom?"