class, and were,
upon the whole, a very presentable lot of pupils. Scanning their
countenances curiously as they sat at their desks or stood up in rows
before the teacher to recite, Bert noticed more than one face that he
instinctively liked, and, being charmed with Mr. Garrison, and well
pleased with his new friend "Shorty," his first impressions were
decidedly favourable.

He had, of course, nothing to do that morning, save to look about him,
but Mr. Garrison gave him a list of books to be procured, and lessons to
be learned in them before the school broke up for the day; and with this
in his pocket he went home in excellent spirits, to tell them all there,
how well he had got on his first day in school.

CHAPTER XI.

SCHOOL LIFE AT MR. GARRISON'S.

Bert had not been long at Mr. Garrison's school before he discovered
that it was conducted on what might fairly be described as
"go-as-you-please" principles. A sad lack of system was its chief
characteristic. He meant well enough by his pupils, and was constantly
making spurts in the direction of reform and improvement, but as often
falling back into the old irregular ways.

The fact of the matter was that he not only was not a schoolmaster by
instinct, but he had no intention of being one by profession. He had
simply adopted teaching as a temporary expedient to tide over a
financial emergency, and intended to drop it so soon as his object was
accomplished. His heart was in his profession, not in his school, and
the work of teaching was at best an irksome task, to be got through with
each day as quickly as possible. Had Mr. Lloyd fully understood this, he
would never have placed Bert there. But he did not; and, moreover, he
was interested in young Mr. Garrison, who had had many difficulties to
encounter in making his way, and he wished to help him.

In the first place, Mr. Garrison kept no record of attendance, either of
the whole school, or of the different classes into which it was divided.
A boy might come in an hour after the proper time, or be away for a
whole day without either his lateness or his absence being observed. As
a consequence "meeching"--that is, taking a holiday without leave from
either parents or teachers--was shamefully common. Indeed, there was
hardly a day that one or more boys did not "meech." If by any chance
they were missed, it was easy to get out of the difficulty by making
some excuse about having been sick, or mother having ke