rn, "so you
thought to defy me; to smuggle compressed illness and concentrated
unhealthiness into this school with impunity? You flattered yourself
that after I had once confiscated your contraband poisons, you would
hear no more of it! You deceived yourself, sir! I tell you, once for
all, that I will not allow you to contaminate your innocent schoolmates
with your gifts of surreptitious sweetmeats; they shall not be perverted
with your pernicious peppermints, sir; you shall not deprave them by
jujubes, or enervate them with Turkish Delight! I will not expose
myself or them to the inroads of disease invited here by a hypocritical
inmate of my walls. The traitor shall have his reward!"

All of which simply meant that the Doctor, having once had a small boy
taken seriously ill from the effects of overeating himself, was
naturally anxious to avoid such an inconvenience for the future. "Thanks
to the fearless honesty of a youth," continued the Doctor, "who, in an
eccentric manner, certainly, but with, I do not doubt, the best of
motives, opened my eyes to the fell evil, I am enabled to cope with it
at its birth. Richard Bultitude, I take this occasion of publicly
thanking and commending you; your conduct was noble!"

Mr. Bultitude was too angry and disappointed to speak. He had thought
his path was going to be made smooth, and now all this ridiculous fuss
was being made about a few peppermint lozenges. He wished he had never
mentioned them. It was not the last time he breathed that wish. "As for
you, Coggs," said the Doctor, suddenly producing a lithe brown cane, "I
shall make a public example of you."

Coggs stared idiotically and protested, but after a short and painful
scene, was sent off up to his bedroom, yelping like a kicked puppy.

"One word more," said the Doctor, now almost calm again. "I know that
you all think with me in your horror of the treachery I have just
exposed. I know that you would scorn to participate in it." (A thrill
and murmur, expressive of intense horror and scorn, went round the
benches.) "You are anxious to prove that you do so beyond a doubt."
(Again a murmur of assent.) "I give you all that opportunity. I have
implicit trust and confidence in you--let every boarder go down into the
box-room and fetch up his playbox, just as it is, and open it here
before me."

There was a general fall of jaws at this very unexpected conclusion; but
contriving to overcome their dismay, they went outside a