ldn't. And here's hooks; see here! . . . I say, won't we go and fish to-morrow down by the Round Pool? And you shall catch your own fish, Maggie, 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.' 'O 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, taking out a large pocket-knife, and slowly opening the largest blade, which he looked at meditativdy as he rubbed his finger along it. Then he added, '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.' 'O 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------page 87 great lion might run towards us roaring, and we couldn't get away from him. What should you do, Tom?' Tom paused, and at last turned away contemptuously, saying, 'But the lion is...
