Still he uttered a sigh of relief as he gave the punt a tremendous thrust from the bank into deep water, where it went rustling by the willow boughs and over the wild growth where the pink-blossomed persicaria sent up its pretty heads.
"If we had pressed Hicky a little more, I believe he would have come," said Dick.
"No, he wouldn't.

He never will when he says he won't." Just at that moment Hickathrift was muttering to himself on the bank, as he watched the boat.
"Straange thing," he said, "that a girt big man like I am should allus feel like a boy.

I wanted to go wi' they two straange and badly.

I will go next time." Taking it in turns, the boys sent the punt quickly over the amber water, the exercise in the bright sunshine chasing the clouds from Dick's countenance, so that before they reached their intended landing-place on the edge of the mere, as near as they could go to the spot where Mr Marston's men were at work, he was once more his old self, laughing, reckoning on the fish they would catch with the trimmers that lay ready, and forgetting for the time all about the plots to injure the drain and its projectors.
There was a low patch of alders at the spot where they intended to land, and Dick was just about to run the punt close in, when he suddenly ceased poling and stood motionless staring before him.
"What's the matter ?" cried Tom.
There was no answer, in fact none was needed, for at that moment Tom's eyes fell upon the object which had arrested his companion's action, to wit, the flabby, unpleasant-looking face of Thorpeley, the constable, that individual being seated by the low bushes smoking his pipe in a position where he must have been watching the lads ever since they started.
Dick's teeth gave forth a peculiar gritting sound, and then, thrusting down the pole, he ran in the punt, leaped on to the quivering shore with the rope, fastened it to a bush, and signed to Tom to follow.
The man said nothing, but there was a curiously aggravating leering grin upon his countenance as he sat taking in every movement on the part of the boys, who walked away rapidly with the full knowledge that they were followed.
"Don't look back, Tom," said Dick between his teeth.

"Oh, how I should have liked to give him a topper with the pole!" "I wish old Dave was here to pitch him in the water," growled Tom.
"Did you ever see anything so aggravating?
He's following us.