f sitting tongue-tied.

It was hard work. But Tom had taken it up, and meant to stick to it, and
go through with it so as to satisfy himself; in which resolution he
was much assisted by the chafing of East and his other old friends, who
began to call him "dry-nurse," and otherwise to break their small wit
on him. But when they took other ground, as they did every now and then,
Tom was sorely puzzled.

"Tell you what, Tommy," East would say; "you'll spoil young Hopeful with
too much coddling. Why can't you let him go about by himself and find
his own level? He'll never be worth a button if you go on keeping him
under your skirts."

"Well, but he ain't fit to fight his own way yet; I'm trying to get him
to it every day, but he's very odd. Poor little beggar! I can't make him
out a bit. He ain't a bit like anything I've ever seen or heard of--he
seems all over nerves; anything you say seems to hurt him like a cut or
a blow."

"That sort of boy's no use here," said East; "he'll only spoil. Now I'll
tell you what to do, Tommy. Go and get a nice large band-box made, and
put him in with plenty of cotton-wool and a pap-bottle, labelled 'With
care--this side up,' and send him back to mamma."

"I think I shall make a hand of him though," said Tom, smiling, "say
what you will. There's something about him, every now and then, which
shows me he's got pluck somewhere in him. That's the only thing after
all that'll wash, ain't it, old Scud? But how to get at it and bring it
out?"

Tom took one hand out of his breeches-pocket and stuck it in his back
hair for a scratch, giving his hat a tilt over his nose, his one method
of invoking wisdom. He stared at the ground with a ludicrously puzzled
look, and presently looked up and met East's eyes. That young gentleman
slapped him on the back, and then put his arm round his shoulder, as
they strolled through the quadrangle together. "Tom," said he, "blest if
you ain't the best old fellow ever was. I do like to see you go into a
thing. Hang it, I wish I could take things as you do; but I never
can get higher than a joke. Everything's a joke. If I was going to be
flogged next minute, I should be in a blue funk, but I couldn't help
laughing at it for the life of me."

"Brown and East, you go and fag for Jones on the great fives court."

"Hullo, though, that's past a joke," broke out East, springing at
the young gentleman who addressed them, and catching him by the
collar.--"Here, Tommy,