"Knows a deal about antiquities.

Little too old for a companion for you, but people who collect butterflies and nettles and flowers generally mix regardless of age." "Do you think the people about will interfere with the works, father ?" said Dick, as they trudged along homeward.
"No, I don't, Dick," said the squire.

"I should like to catch them at it." Dick went to bed that night very tired, and dropped asleep directly, thinking of Dave and the expedition to set trimmers, or "liggers" as they called them, and he was soon in imagination afloat upon the lanes and pools of water among the reeds, with Dave softly thrusting down his pole in search of hard places, where the point would not sink in.

Then he dreamed that he had baited hook after hook, attached the line to a blown-out bladder, and sent it sailing away to attract the notice of some sharking pike lurking at the edge of one of the beds of reeds.
Then he dreamed that the sun was in his eyes as it went down in a rich glow far away over the wide expanse of water and rustling dried reed, where the starlings roosted and came and went in well-marshalled clouds, all moving as if carefully drilled to keep at an exact distance one from the other, ready to wheel and turn or swoop up or down with the greatest exactness in the world.
That dreamy imagination passed away, and he became conscious that he was having his morning call, as he termed it, and for which he always prepared when going to bed by pulling up the blind and drawing aside the white curtains, so that the sun who called him should shine right in upon his face.
For the sun called Dick Winthorpe when he shone, and as the lad lay upon his side with his face toward the window the sun seemed to be doing his morning duty so well that Dick yawned, stretched, and lay with his eyes closed while the glow of red light flooded his room.
"Only seem to have just lain down," he grumbled, keeping his eyes more tightly shut than ever.

"Bother! I wish I wasn't so drowsy when it's time to get up!" At last he opened his eyes, to stare hard at the light, and then with a cry full of excitement, he threw off the clothes and leaped out of bed, to rush to the window.
"Oh!" he ejaculated; and darting back to the bed-side he hurried on his trousers, opened his door, and the next moment his bare feet padded over the polished oak floor as he made for his father's room and thumped at the door.
"Father, quick!--father!" "Hallo! Any one ill ?" cried the squire, for thieves and burglars were known only by repute out there in the fen.
"Tallington's farm's in a blaze!" cried Dick, hoarsely.
He heard a thump on the floor, a hasty ejaculation from his mother, and then ran back to his own room to finish dressing, gazing out of his window the while, to see that the bright glow about Grimsey was increasing, and that a golden cloud seemed to be slowly rising up through the still air.
"Now, Dick!" shouted his father, "run down and rouse up the people at the cottages." Dick ran out, and down past the old Priory ruins, to where a cluster of cottages, half-way to Hickathrift's, were occupied by the people who worked upon the farm; and, distant as the fire was, he could yet see the ruddy glow upon the water before him.
Half-way there, he heard a shout: "Who's there!" It was in a big bluff voice, which Dick recognised at once.
"That you, Hicky?
Fire! fire!" "Ay, my lad, I was coming to rouse up the folk.