oyd has been writing his autograph on you. Well,
let that be an end of it. Shake hands with one another."

Bert immediately put out his hand and grasped Rod's, which was but half
extended.

"Very good," said the doctor. "We will now proceed with the lesson."

One of the most interested and excited spectators of the fight had been
Dick Wilding, a boy who will require a few words of description. He was
the son of one of the merchant princes of the city, and was accustomed
to everything that the highest social station and abundant wealth could
procure. He was a handsome young fellow, and although thoroughly spoiled
and selfish, was not without his good points, a lavish generosity being
the most noteworthy. This, of course, supplemented by his reckless
daring as regards all schoolboy feats, and natural aptitude for
schoolboy sports, made him very popular at the school, and he had a
large following. Previous to Bert's decisive victory over Rod Graham, he
had not shown any particular interest in him, beyond committing himself
to the opinion that he was a "regular brick" on the occasion of the
hoisting, and again, when Bert bore his whipping so manfully. But since
the fight, he had exhibited a strong desire to have Bert join the circle
of his companions, and to this end cultivated his society in a very
marked way.

Now, this same Dick Wilding had been in Mrs. Lloyd's mind when she had
hesitated about Bert's going to Dr. Johnston's. She knew well what his
bringing up had been, and had heard several stories about him, which
made her dread his being a companion for Bert. She had accordingly
spoken to Bert about Dick, and while taking care not to be too pointed,
had made it clear that she did not want them to be intimate. This was
when Bert first went to the school, and as there had seemed no prospect
of anything more than a mere acquaintance springing up between the two
boys, nothing had been said on the subject for some time, so that it was
not fresh in his mind when Dick, somewhat to his surprise, showed such a
desire for his society.

Dick's latest enterprise was the organisation of a cricket club, into
which he was putting a great deal of energy. As the bats and balls and
other necessary articles were to be paid for out of his own pocket, he
found no difficulty in getting recruits, and the list of members was
fast filling up. Bert had heard a good deal about this club, and would
have liked very much to belong to it, but