e somewhere! He looked up, and what was his
astonishment to find in his dreaded principal no other than the
gentleman with whom he had yesterday spent such a friendly hour in the
train between Gunborough and Randlebury!

And his face was as kind as ever, and his voice encouraging, as he
repeated,--

"What's the matter, my man? has the watch stopped."

"Oh, sir," said Charlie, running up to him, "I am glad it's you, and I'm
so sorry I drove the cab, and hit Walker in the eye. I'll never do it
again!"

"Tut, tut," said the head master; "if you never do any worse than that,
you won't go far wrong. I didn't tell you who I was yesterday, because
I wanted you to manage for yourself, and fight your own battle on first
arriving. Now tell me how you have got on."

And Charlie faithfully recounted to him everything, including my sudden
indisposition, and my cure by Tom Drift.

Dr Weldon (for that was his name) listened to his story, and then
said,--

"Well, you've made a pretty good beginning. Now try to remember this:
your father has sent you here for two reasons; one is that your head may
be furnished, and the other is that your character may be trained. I
and your teachers can undertake the first; but it depends chiefly on you
how the second succeeds. You will constantly be having to choose for
yourself between what is right and what is wrong, and between what is
true and what is false. Take the advice of one who has passed through
all the temptations you are likely to meet here--rely always on a wisdom
that is better than your own, and when once you see which way duty
calls, follow that way as if your life depended on it. Do this, and
you'll turn out a far better man than the man who is talking to you.
Whenever you are in trouble come to me, I shall always be glad to see
you. I promised you, you know, I would ask for you occasionally, didn't
I? And now let's see what you've got in your head."

And then followed a brief examination, conducted in a way which put
Charlie quite at his ease, and so enabled him to acquit himself with a
fair amount of credit and win from his master a commendation, which he
prized not a little, for it was that his father's efforts had not been
wasted on him.

"You will be put in the second-form," said the doctor, "and if you work
hard, I see no reason why you should not get up into the third next
midsummer. Now, good-bye. I hope you won't find the head master of
Randlebury is