er, when he had done all in his power
to make good his promise, was as bitter a grief as any which he had
to undergo for many a long year. His wrath, then, was proportionately
violent when he was aware of two boys, who stopped close by him, and one
of whom, a fat gaby of a fellow, pointed at him and called him "Young
mammy-sick!" Whereupon Tom arose, and giving vent thus to his grief and
shame and rage, smote his derider on the nose; and made it bleed;
which sent that young worthy howling to the usher, who reported Tom for
violent and unprovoked assault and battery. Hitting in the face was a
felony punishable with flogging, other hitting only a misdemeanour--a
distinction not altogether clear in principle. Tom, however, escaped the
penalty by pleading primum tempus; and having written a second letter
to his mother, inclosing some forget-me-nots, which he picked on their
first half-holiday walk, felt quite happy again, and began to enjoy
vastly a good deal of his new life.

These half-holiday walks were the great events of the week. The whole
fifty boys started after dinner with one of the ushers for Hazeldown,
which was distant some mile or so from the school. Hazeldown measured
some three miles round, and in the neighbourhood were several woods full
of all manner of birds and butterflies. The usher walked slowly round
the down with such boys as liked to accompany him; the rest scattered
in all directions, being only bound to appear again when the usher
had completed his round, and accompany him home. They were forbidden,
however, to go anywhere except on the down and into the woods; the
village had been especially prohibited, where huge bull's-eyes and
unctuous toffy might be procured in exchange for coin of the realm.

Various were the amusements to which the boys then betook themselves. At
the entrance of the down there was a steep hillock, like the barrows of
Tom's own downs. This mound was the weekly scene of terrific combats,
at a game called by the queer name of "mud-patties." The boys who played
divided into sides under different leaders, and one side occupied the
mound. Then, all parties having provided themselves with many sods of
turf, cut with their bread-and-cheese knives, the side which remained
at the bottom proceeded to assault the mound, advancing up on all sides
under cover of a heavy fire of turfs, and then struggling for victory
with the occupants, which was theirs as soon as they could, even for a