nk you, Sir.'

'That's right; you must share, my lad,' said the school-master. 'It is a
reward for both of you.'

'Thank you, Sir, it was _my_ duty,' repeated Harold, making his bow.

'Sir, Sir, pray let us give him three cheers,' burst out the head boy in
an imploring voice.

Mr. Carter smiled and nodded; and there was such a hearty roaring and
stamping, such 'hip, hip, hurrah!' bursting out again and again, that the
windows clattered, and the room seemed fuller of noise than it could
possibly hold. It is not quite certain that Mr. Carter did not halloo as
loud as any of the boys.

Harold turned very red, and did not know which way to look while it was
going on, nor what to do when it was over, except to say a very odd sort
of 'Thank you, Sir;' but his heart leapt up with a kind of warm grateful
feeling of liking towards those boys for going along with him so
heartily; and the cheers gave a pleasure and glow that the coins never
would have done, even had he thought them his own by right.

He was not particularly good in this; he had never felt the pinch of
want, and was too young to care; and he did not happen to wish to buy
anything in particular just then. A selfish or a covetous boy would not
have felt as he did; but these were not his temptations. Knowing, as he
did, that the assault had been the consequence of his foolish boasts
about the money-letters, and that he, being in charge, ought to defend
them to the last gasp, he was sure he deserved the very contrary from a
reward, and never thought of the money belonging to any one but Paul, who
had by his own free will come to the rescue, and saved the bag from
robbery, himself from injury and disgrace.

How happy he was in thinking what a windfall it was for his friend, and
how far it would go in fitting him up respectably!

Peggy was ready to trot nearly as fast as he wished her down the lane to
the place where he had left Paul; and no sooner did Harold come in sight
of the olive-coloured rags, than he bawled out a loud 'Hurrah! Come on,
Paul; you don't know what I've got for you! 'Twas a young gentleman's
watch as you saved; and they've come down right handsome! and here's
twelve-and-sixpence for you--enough to rig you out like a regular swell!
Why, what's the matter?' he added in quite another voice, as he had now
come up to Paul, and found him sitting nearly doubled up, with his head
bent over his knees.

He raised his face up as Harold came, and