and even sought his good-will.

The study of music afforded Ivo particular pleasure. An orchestra was
organized to perform at the church-festivals. Ivo chose the bugle as
his instrument, and soon acquired considerable skill.

The principal once conceived the idea of giving the boys, who were
condemned to such a dismal barrack-life, a taste of family comfort. So,
after catechism, he invited twelve of the most advanced--Ivo among
them--to come to his room in the evening. This invitation was
understood as a command, and the boys marched in at the appointed hour,
in the order of their seats at school, bowing and scraping.

The principal, who lived with his old maiden sister, had tea ready for
them, to which they were helped, and of which they bashfully partook.
The good old gentleman had unfortunately forgotten all about family
comfort and domestic enjoyment himself; so, instead of asking questions
about home, he conversed about books and studies. Once only, when he
told a magnificent joke of the perplexity into which he was thrown in
early childhood by finding two leaves of his Bible sticking together, a
suppressed giggle passed around the room. He immediately went on to
argue, however, that whenever we find it hard to understand any thing
in the Bible we might be sure there was a leaf pasted down somewhere.

At nine o'clock he said, "Now let us pray." They prayed, and then he
said "Good-night," and the boys went their way. They were not much the
better for their taste of family comfort.

Thus the winter passed by. Sometimes it made Ivo sad to see the
town-boys sledging or throwing snow-balls. When the snow thawed,
however, and nature began again to thrive, his heart reverberated to
the pulses which beat all round him. He yearned for his free sunny
home.

8.
THE HOLIDAYS.

For several weeks before the holidays none of the boys had their minds
fixed upon their studies; all skipped and danced with joy at the
thought of going home. Ivo and Clement often walked hand in hand,
telling each other stories of home. Clement was the son of a scrivener
or actuary,--the lowest grade of those officials who form the great
political and legal hierarchy of the continental states of Europe. He
had had no settled home in his childhood, as his father had been
transferred from town to town three or four times during his life.

On the last evening all the boys were pack