Page:Cornelia Meigs--The island of Appledore.djvu/26

10 in the best patch, that I have been saving for your Aunt,” the old man went on. “I’m glad you came along, for this isn’t one of my spry  days and I couldn’t carry them up to the hotel  myself. I have been expecting Jacky Shute to take them, but the young monkey hasn’t  turned up. You didn’t see him, did you, Johann, as you came along?”

“No,” replied Johann hastily, much too hastily, Billy thought, “I saw no one, not anyone at all.”

Billy looked at him in amazement. He did not seem at all like the kind of person who  could tell such a lie. Nor did he appear to enjoy telling it, for he stammered, turned red,  picked up his bag of tools and set them down  again.

“I will go in and mend the clock now, if you don’t mind, Captain Saulsby,” he said,  perhaps in the desire to escape further questioning.

“Go right in and do anything you like to it,” the old man returned, “and meanwhile  this young fellow and I will go down and get  the berries. Just reach me that basket of boxes, will you, and give me a hand up out