“He dwells in a sky-scraper, that’s what I say,” Hervey commented.  “In a hall bedroom upside down, twenty floors up.”

Tom tried again.  “What do you mean to do with her now that you’ve got her?” he asked.

“I’m going to turn her over to you, Slady.  You’re the real scout; none genuine unless marked T. S. You’ve got the birds all eating out of your hands.”

“You didn’t tear the nest from the branch,” Tom said.  “You must have had some idea.”

“Well,” said Hervey, “my idea was to stick it up in an elm tree down at camp.  Think she’d stand for it?”

“Guess so,” Tom said.

“You see I’m all through bird study,” Hervey said with amusing artlessness, “so I think you’d better adopt Erastus—­is that the way you say it?”

“Orestes,” Tom corrected him.

“Pardon me,” Hervey said.

“Maybe you don’t even care if I tell them what you did?” Tom queried.

“Tell them whatever you want,” Hervey said.  “I don’t care.  What I’m thinking now is——­”

“The next stunt,” Tom interrupted him.

“You said it,” Hervey answered cheerily; “just about a mile or so of tracks.  I guess you think I’m kind of happy-go-lucky, don’t you?”

“I don’t blame you for not remembering all the things you’ve done,” Tom said, “and all the rules and tests and like that.  But most every scout goes in for some particular thing.  Maybe it’s first aid, or maybe it’s signaling.  And he keeps on with that thing even after he has the badge.”

“That’s right,” Hervey concurred with surprising readiness.  “You’ve got the right idea.  My specialty is the Eagle badge.  See?”

“Well, that’s twenty-one badges,” Tom said.

“Right-o, and all I need to do now is test three for the stalking badge and I’m it.  And if I can’t go over the top between now and this time Saturday, I’ll never look the fellows in my troop in the face again, that’s what.”

Tom whistled to himself a moment as they strolled along.  Perhaps he knew more than he wished to say.  Perhaps he was just a little out of patience with this sprightly, irresponsible young hero.

“Well, there isn’t much time,” he said.

“That’s the trouble, Slady, and it’s got me guessing.”

CHAPTER XI

OFF ON A NEW TACK

It is doubtful if ever there was a scout at Temple Camp for whom Tom felt a greater interest or by whom he was more attracted than by this irrepressible boy whose ready prowess he had just witnessed.  And the funny part of it was that no two persons could possibly have been more unlike than these two.  Hervey even got on Tom’s nerves somewhat by his blithe disregard of the handbook side of scouting, except for what it was worth to him in his stuntful career.

The handbook was almost a sacred volume to sober Tom.  Still, he was captivated by Hervey, as indeed others were in the big camp.