k her woman's eye saw what mine had overlooked,
that he was not even wearing a black jacket. Well, she told him what the
slap was for, and his little countenance cleared at once. 'Oh' says he,
'that's all right, Tommy and me has arranged it,' and he pointed
blithely to a corner of the yard where Tommy was hunkering by himself in
Lewis's jacket, and wiping his mournful eyes with Lewis's hanky. I
daresay you can jalouse the rest, but I kept Lewis behind after the
school skailed, and got a full confession out of him. He had tried hard,
he gave me to understand, to mourn fittingly for his father, but the
kickbonnety season being on, it was up-hill work, and he was relieved
when Tommy volunteered to take it off his hands. Tommy's offer was to
swop jackets every morning for a week or two, and thus properly attired
to do the mourning for him."

The dominie paused, and regarded his guest quizzically. "Sir," he said
at length, "laddies are a queer growth; I assure you there was no
persuading Lewis that it was not a right and honorable compact."

"And what payment," asked McLean, laughing, "did Tommy demand from Lewis
for this service?"

"Not a farthing, sir--which gives another uncanny glint into his
character. When he wants money there's none so crafty at getting it, but
he did this for the pleasure of the thing, or, as he said to Lewis, 'to
feel what it would be like.' That, I tell you, is the nature of the
sacket, he has a devouring desire to try on other folk's feelings, as if
they were so many suits of clothes."

"And from your account he makes them fit him too."

"My certie, he does, and a lippie in the bonnet more than that."

So far the school-master had spoken frankly, even with an occasional grin
at his own expense, but his words came reluctantly when he had to speak
of Tommy's prospects at the bursary examinations. "I would rather say
nothing on that head," he said, almost coaxingly, "for the laddie has a
year to reform in yet, and it's never safe to prophesy."

"Still I should have thought that you could guess pretty accurately how
the boys you mean to send up in a year's time are likely to do? You have
had a long experience, and, I am told, a glorious one."

"'Deed, there's no denying it," answered the dominie, with a pride he
had won the right to wear. "If all the ministers, for instance, I have
turned out in this bit school were to come back together, they could
hold the General Assembly in the square."