had fared well already before leaving home and at the railway stations, and from that or some other cause were not hungry.

Are all the fellows come?" some one asked, when they were about retiring to their dormitories. Of course no one could answer that question; but it was passed round, and notes were interchanged of boys who had been seen and others who had not been seen. There had been on former occasions some irregularity in the arrival of the boys. Although there were some parents who complained that the holidays were unnecessarily long, yet many of them would take a day or two more upon some pretence or other, and the form-work of the whole school was hindered in consequence. Dr. Piercey had therefore given notice that in future no boy who was not punctual to the day appointed would be excused, except in cases of illness. Everybody knew that the doctor meant what he said, and no little interest was manifested in the consequences which might be expected to ensue if any boy should venture to disregard his mandate.

"Where's Martin?" said one.

"Swallow? Oh, I saw him with Tom Howard, walking with their arms over each other's shoulders, like the Siamese twins," another answered.

"Has anybody seen Robinson?"

"Yes; Robinson is all right; and so is Brown, and the two Joneses, and the three Smiths, and White and Green."

"And Blue and Pink," a lively youngster suggested. "Where is that fellow Chaffin ?"

Nobody had seen Chaffin. Chaffin, it was well known, had always taken a day or two extra with his father's sanction, and had boasted that he should do the same still; many of them hoped he would. The question was passed about with excitement-Had Chaffin returned? Nobody had seen him; nobody wanted to see him; but there was a great deal of speculation

as to what would happen if he should not appear and answer to his name at calling-over next morning.

Their anticipations were well founded. Chaffin had not arrived. Two or three others were absent without leave, and came in the course of the day; but on the second night Chaffin was still absent. Dr. Piercey called up the boys who had arrived a day late, and, after a short speech, gave them an imposition and gated them for a week. One of them, named Barry, pleaded to be excused on the ground that it was not his fault that he and his brother were late.

"Whose fault was it?" the doctor asked.

"We missed the train, sir," said Barry major. "The timetable had been altered."

'Since when?"

"Since last month."

"Then you ought to have known it."

"Yes, sir; but if you please, sir, I had an old Bradshaw." "You ought to have had a new one: to-day is the 21st of January; you might have procured one three weeks ago."

"I did not know that there would be any change in the trains, sir."

"You would have known it if you had used proper care." "My father looked out the train for me."

"By doing so in an improper manner he exposed you to punishment. I cannot give him an imposition of five hundred lines; you are old enough to take care of yourself in such a matter, and it was your place to do so. You and your brother must take the consequences."

"It is very hard, sir."

"It will be a lesson to you."

There was nothing more to be said. The boys knew that they must perform their task, and were silent.

"I wonder what Chaffin will get," said one of them, after

school. "He is two days late; he will have a thousand lines. at least, and be gated half the term."

The third morning Chaffin was still absent. His name was called, but no voice answered. There was a buzz of excitement, some of the boys appearing to be very much delighted at the prospect of a scene. Dr. Piercey also, as it happened, was absent, which was a very unusual thing for him, especially as he had given no notice to his form, who were waiting for him.

"He is never ill," said one to another; "or if he is, he does not give in."

They remained in the class-room, expecting his arrival every moment, and were just going away, at the end of an hour, when the doctor appeared, looking very hot and uncomfortable, as some of them thought. He took his usual place and went through the lesson hastily, but he was evidently preoccupied, and "absent still," as one of the boys whispered to his neighbour.

When the lesson was ended Dr. Piercey arose and moved towards the door; then paused, and returned to his place. "I was late this morning," he said.

They knew that already, and were silent.

"Have you any idea how it happened?"

'No, sir."

"Come with me."

The doctor then led the way, looking rather downcast, as they thought, towards the great hall, where most of the boys were assembled at their work, and took his place upon the rostrum from which he had made his short speech about the absentees the day before. The boys were all attention. "Chaffin is come," they whispered one to another. A rumour had been current that the doctor had sent a policeman after him, and many of the "very young" among them expected to see the truant brought into the room presently in charge of a

"bobby." Dr. Piercey was himself evidently oppressed with the gravity of the situation, and seemed, for the first time since they had known him, to have a difficulty in finding words to express himself. He hesitated, coughed, looked around him, let his eye fall towards the desk, and at length broke silence.

"I was late in school this morning," he said; "and after what passed yesterday, I feel called upon to tell you how it happened. I had occasion last night to go to Puddleford, and intended to return by the first train this morning. I was a few minutes behind time at the Puddleford station, and the train was gone."

He paused, and there was a solemn silence, broken only by a little squeak from one of the Barrys, who hid his face behind a book and endeavoured to escape from observation.

"I-I-it was my own fault," the doctor continued. "I trusted to an old Bradshaw."

Another squeak! Two squeaks this time from the place. where the two Barrys were sitting, and a general sensation throughout the room.

"Oh, I say!" was whispered from one to another with great delight, especially among the younger boys.

"Silence!" from the monitors.

"I have no excuse to make," said the doctor, proceeding with more fluency, now that the unpleasant fact had been proclaimed. "It was nobody's fault but my own; and if I were in your place, I should deserve-"

"Five hundred lines," said a small voice, not meant to be audible. The words were heard, however, with a distinctness startling to the speaker, in consequence of the absolute and very unusual silence which prevailed.

"Who said that?" one of the monitors asked, peremptorily. No one answered. The question was repeated. Several of

the boys glanced sideways at each other, especially those nearest the spot from which the voice had come; but no one spoke. "Who was it that said five hundred lines'?" the doctor asked, quietly.

Still there was silence. The boys understood that in a case of this kind they were not required to tell of one another, but only to answer for themselves.

"I'm waiting for a reply to my question," the doctor said again.

Then Barry minor rose to his feet, looking very red and miserable, and stood up in his place speechless.

"Did you say 'five hundred lines'?" the doctor asked gravely.

"Yes, sir; I am very sorry, sir; I did not mean it at all. I did not think anybody would hear."

"I suppose you did not," said the doctor. "You may sit down. It would be a great waste of time," he continued, half seriously and half in joke, "for me to write out five hundred lines; and such a task would be for me a much severer punishment than it is for you. Still I should wish to satisfy you." "Oh, sir," Barry minor began, with a trembling voice, “I did not mean anything."

But Dr. Piercey proceeded without noticing him.

"If any one thinks I ought to have five hundred lines for using an old Bradshaw—”

"No, sir, no," from the monitors.

"Fiat justitia; but I really could not find leisure for the task myself." He paused.

"The king can do no wrong," said one of the monitors.

There was a general expression of approval, if not of the sentiment itself, of the present application of it. But Dr. Piercey, though he also seemed to be pleased with the incident, shook his head and said that would not do.