The subject was dropped, but Teddy’s thoughts were busy.  He ran down to the village green after tea, and there met one or two of his special chums, to whom he confided the events of the afternoon.  They highly applauded the scene at the bridge, but Teddy shook his curly head a little doubtfully.

’Men ought always to give way to women, I’ve heard mother say; but I couldn’t turn back, you see—­it would have disgraced my button.’

‘Tell you what,’ cried Harry Brown, commonly known as ‘Carrots’ from his fiery hair, ’you could ’a done what the goats did in the primer at school—­you ought ter have laid flat down and let her walk across you.’

‘She would have hurt dreadful,’ Teddy observed thoughtfully.  ’Besides, she’s so proud, I don’t think I would have liked to do that.’

‘No,’ put in Sam Waters; ’you did fine.  I say, let’s come up to the turnpike and see if she’s about there.  I’ll give her a word, if she begins to sauce me.’

Teddy agreed to this, and the trio trotted off along a flat, dusty road, Teddy beguiling the way by some of his wonderful stories till they came in sight of the low thatched cottage, covered with roses, that guarded the turnpike.

They soon saw the young damsel, for she was swinging on the gate, her dark hair flying in the wind, and her eyes and cheeks bright with the exercise.  She looked at the boys, then laughed.

‘Poor little button-boy!’ she said; ’you have to be taken care of by two bigger ones.’

‘We’ve come to see you,’ said Sam valiantly, ’because we ain’t going to stand any cheek from you; so you had better look out.’

Nancy stopped swinging, and resting her fat little elbows on the topmost bar, asked saucily, ’Did the button-boy tell you to come and help him fight me?  Are you all three going to try?’

‘We don’t fight girls,’ said Teddy.

‘You push them into the water.’

‘I didn’t.’

’I told mother about it.  She thought you was a very rude boy not to wait till I crossed over.’

There was silence, then Carrots started forward.

’Look here, you’ll have to learn your manners, and we won’t have a strange girl like you stick yourself up so.  We’ve come to tell you to look out for yourself if you don’t stop it.’

Nancy laughed again, and swung herself violently backwards and forwards.  ‘Yo ho! my lads, yo ho!’ she sang.  ’I’m on my ship, and I don’t care for boys a bit; they’re all as stupid as they can be.  Yo ho!  We go!  Yo ho, lads, heave ho!’

Her elevated position certainly seemed to give her an advantage.

‘We’ll soon shake you off there!’ shouted Sam, his wrath rising at her calm indifference to the lords of creation.

’Come on, and try.  I’m up the rigging, and a storm is beginning.  Hurray—­come on!’

Sam and Carrots made a furious onslaught, and the gate was roughly handled, but the more it shook and swung, the more derisive was Nancy’s laughter, as she clutched a firm hold with her small hands, and swayed to and fro, calling out excitedly, ’Furl the main-sail!  Stand by, lads—­steady—­starboard hard!  Port your helm!  Rocks to leeward!  Reef the top-sail!  Breakers ahead!  Yo ho!’