n his arrival, much pleased with his
cottage, which contrasted strongly with the room in a crowded
street which he had occupied in London; and his wife was still more
pleased.

"I am sure we shall be happy and comfortable here, James," she
said, "and the air feels so fresh and pure that I am convinced you
will soon get strong and well again. What is money to health? I am
sure I shall be ten times as happy, here, as I was when you were
earning three or four times as much, in London."

The squire and Mrs. Ellison came down the next morning, at the
opening of the school; and after a chat with the new schoolmaster
and his wife, the squire accompanied the former into the school
room.

"Look here, boys and girls," he said, "Mr. Shrewsbury has come down
from London to teach you. He has been ill, and is not very strong.
I hope you will give him no trouble, and I can tell you it will be
the worse for you, if you do. I am going to look into matters
myself; and I shall have a report sent me in, regularly, as to how
each of you is getting on, with a special remark as to conduct; and
I can tell you, if any of you are troublesome you will find me down
at your father's, in no time."

The squire's words had considerable effect, and an unusual quiet
reigned in the school, after he had left and the new schoolmaster
opened a book.

They soon found that his method of teaching was very different to
that which they were accustomed to. There was no shouting or
thumping on the desk with the cane, no pulling of ears or cuffing
of heads. Everything was explained quietly and clearly; and when
they went out of the school, all agreed that the new master was a
great improvement on Master White, while the master himself
reported to his wife that he had got on better than he had
expected.

Chapter 2: The Poisoned Dog.

The boys soon felt that Mr. Shrewsbury really wished to teach them,
and that he was ready to assist those who wanted to get on. In the
afternoon the schoolmaster's wife started a sewing class for the
girls and, a week or two after he came, the master announced that
such of the elder class of boys and girls who chose to come, in the
evening, to his cottage could do so for an hour; and that he and
the boys would read, by turns, some amusing book while the girls
worked. Only Reuben Whitney and two or three others at first
availed themselves of the invitation, but these spoke so highly of
their evening that the number soon