ly enough, with a delicious ecstasy
of pure relief and happiness--a fatiguing programme for any middle-aged
gentleman who had never cultivated his emotional faculties.

Let me try to tell how this came about. The getting-up bell rang an hour
later than on week-days, but the boys were expected to prepare certain
tasks suitable for the day before they rose. Mr. Bultitude found that he
was required to learn by heart a hymn in which the rhymes "join" and
"divine," "throne" and "crown," were so happily wedded that either might
conform to the other--a graceful concession to individual taste which is
not infrequent in this class of poetry. Trivial as such a task may seem
in these days of School Boards, it gave him infinite trouble and mental
exertion, for he had not been called upon to commit anything of the kind
to memory for many years, and after mastering that, there still remained
a long chronological list (the dates approximately computed) of the
leading events before and immediately after the Deluge, which was to be
repeated "without looking at the book."

While he was wrestling desperately with these, for he was determined, as
I have said before, to do all in his power to keep himself out of
trouble, Mrs. Grimstone, in her morning wrapper, paid a visit to the
dormitories and, in spite of all Paul's attempts to excuse himself,
insisted upon pomatuming his hair--an indignity which he felt acutely.

"When she knows who I really am," he thought, "she'll be sorry she made
such a point of it. If there's one thing upon earth I loathe more than
another, it's marrow-oil pomade!"

Then there was breakfast, at which Dr. Grimstone appeared, resplendent
in glossy broadcloth, and dazzling shirt-front and semi-clerical white
tie, and after breakfast, an hour in the schoolroom, during which the
boys (by the aid of repeated references to the text) wrote out "from
memory" the hymn they had learnt, while Paul managed somehow to stumble
through his dates and events to the satisfaction of Mr. Tinkler, who, to
increase his popularity, made a point of being as easily satisfied with
such repetitions as he decently could.

After that came the order to prepare for church. There was a general
rush to the little room with the shelves and bandboxes, where church
books were procured, and great-coats and tight kid gloves put on.

When they were almost ready the Doctor came in, wearing his blandest and
most paternal expression.

"A--it's a coll