ught I not rather to pray in my own study, letting
other boys know that I do so, and trying to lead them to it, while in
public at least I should go on as I have done?" However, his good angel
was too strong that night, and he turned on his side and slept, tired of
trying to reason, but resolved to follow the impulse which had been so
strong, and in which he had found peace.

Next morning he was up and washed and dressed, all but his jacket and
waistcoat, just as the ten minutes' bell began to ring, and then in
the face of the whole room knelt down to pray. Not five words could
he say--the bell mocked him; he was listening for every whisper in
the room--what were they all thinking of him? He was ashamed to go on
kneeling, ashamed to rise from his knees. At last, as it were from his
inmost heart, a still, small voice seemed to breathe forth the words of
the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" He repeated them over
and over, clinging to them as for his life, and rose from his knees
comforted and humbled, and ready to face the whole world. It was not
needed: two other boys besides Arthur had already followed his example,
and he went down to the great School with a glimmering of another lesson
in his heart--the lesson that he who has conquered his own coward spirit
has conquered the whole outward world; and that other one which the old
prophet learnt in the cave in Mount Horeb, when he hid his face, and the
still, small voice asked, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" that however
we may fancy ourselves alone on the side of good, the King and Lord
of men is nowhere without His witnesses; for in every society, however
seemingly corrupt and godless, there are those who have not bowed the
knee to Baal.

He found, too, how greatly he had exaggerated the effect to be produced
by his act. For a few nights there was a sneer or a laugh when he knelt
down, but this passed off soon, and one by one all the other boys but
three or four followed the lead. I fear that this was in some measure
owing to the fact that Tom could probably have thrashed any boy in the
room except the prepostor; at any rate, every boy knew that he would
try upon very slight provocation, and didn't choose to run the risk of a
hard fight because Tom Brown had taken a fancy to say his prayers. Some
of the small boys of Number 4 communicated the new state of things to
their chums, and in several other rooms the poor little fellows tried
it on--in one instance