t the crash Czar Brench, who had been hearing the grammar class with
his back to Rufus, turned. I think he thought that Rufus had jumped
down; for, fearing the teacher's wrath, the frightened boy scrambled to
his feet and, with a cry, started to run out of school.

With one long stride the master had him by the arm. "I don't quite know
what I shall do to you," he said, as he brought the boy back.

He shook Rufus until the little fellow's teeth chattered and his eyes
rolled; and while he shook him, he seemed to be reflecting what new
punishment he could devise for this rebellious attempt.

To the utter amazement of us all, Catherine, who was sitting directly in
front of them, suddenly spoke out.

"Mr. Brench," she cried, "you are a hard, cruel man!"

The master was so astounded that he let go of Rufus and stared down at
her. "Stand up!" he commanded, no longer in his soft tone, but in a
terrible voice.

Catherine stood up promptly, unflinching; her eyes, blazing with
indignation, looked squarely into his.

"Let me see your hand," he said.

Instead of one hand, Catherine instantly thrust out both, under his very
nose.

"Ferule me!" she cried. "Ferule both my hands, Mr. Brench! Ferule me all
you want to! I don't care how hard you strike! But you are a bad, cruel
man, and I hate you!"

Still holding the ruler, Czar Brench gazed at her for some moments in
silence; he seemed almost dazed.

"You are the first scholar that ever spoke to me like that," he said at
last. A singular expression had come into his face; he was having a new
experience. For another full minute he stared down at the girl, but he
apparently had no longer any thought of feruling her.

"Take your seat," he said to her at last; and, after sending the still
trembling Rufus to his seat, he dismissed the grammar class.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened afterwards. There were but three
weeks more of school, and the term ended about as usual.

The school agent and certain of the parents in the district who believed
in the importance of rigid discipline wished to have Czar Brench teach
there another winter; but for some reason he declined to return. At the
old Squire's we thought that it was, perhaps, because he had failed to
conquer Catherine.

CHAPTER XXXII

WHEN OLD PEG LED THE FLOCK

During the fifth week of school there was an enforced vacation of three
or four days, over Sunday, while the school committee were investigating