lled_.
Oh, misery, misery! He was sure it would break his mother's heart. Oh,
how cruel everything was to him!

Five pounds! He wondered whether Montagu would lend it him, or any
other boy? But then it was late in the quarter, and all the boys would
have spent the money they brought with them from home. There was no
chance of any one having five pounds, and to a master he _dare_ not
apply, not even to Mr Rose. The offence was too serious to be
overlooked, and if noticed at all, he fancied that, after his other
delinquencies, it _must_, as a matter of notoriety, be visited with
expulsion. He could not face that bitter thought; he could not thus
bring open disgrace upon his father's and his brother's name; this was
the fear which kept recurring to him with dreadful iteration.

Suddenly he remembered that if he had continued captain of the school
eleven, he would have had easy command of the money, by being treasurer
of the cricket subscriptions. But at Vernon's death he lost all
interest in cricket for a time, and had thrown up his office, to which
Montagu had been elected by the general suffrage.

He wondered whether there was as much as five pounds of the cricketing
money left! He knew that the box which contained it was in Montagu's
study, and he also knew where the key was kept. It was merely a feeling
of curiosity--he would go and look.

All this passed through Eric's mind as he sat in his study after Billy
had gone. It was a sultry summer day; all the study doors were open,
and all their occupants were absent in the cricket-field, or bathing.
He stole into Montagu's study, hastily got the key, and took down the
box.

"Oh, put it down, put it down, Eric," said Conscience; "what business
have you with it?"

"Pooh! it is merely curiosity; as if I couldn't trust myself!"

"Put it down," repeated Conscience authoritatively, deigning no longer
to argue or entreat.

Eric hesitated, and did put down the box; but he did not instantly leave
the room. He began to look at Montagu's books and then out of the
window. The gravel playground was deserted, he noticed, for the
cricket-field. Nobody was near therefore. Well, what of that? he was
doing no harm.

"Nonsense! I _will_ just look and see if there's five pounds in the
cricket-box." Slowly at first he put out his hand, and then, hastily
turning the key, opened the box. It contained three pounds in gold, and
a quantity of silver. He began to count