derstand him, and unjustly too! He mustered up an indifferent
air, closed his lips tight, and determined to give no further signs.
The defiance of his look made Mr Gordon angry, and he inflicted in
succession five hard cuts on either hand, each one of which was more
excruciating than the last.

"Now, go to your seat."

Eric did go to his seat, with all his bad passions roused, and he walked
in a jaunty and defiant kind of way, that made the master really grieve
at the disgrace into which he had fallen. But he instantly became a
hero with the form, who unanimously called him a great brick for not
telling, and admired him immensely for bearing up without crying under
so severe a punishment. The punishment _was_ most severe, and for some
weeks after there were dark weals visible across Eric's palm, which
rendered the use of his hands painful.

"Poor Williams," said Duncan, as they went out of school, "how very
plucky of you not to cry."

"Vengeance deep brooding o'er the _cane_
Had locked the source of softer woe
And burning pride and high disdain
Forbade the gentler tear to flow," said Eric, with a smile.

But he only bore up till he got home, and there, while he was telling
his father the occurrence, he burst into a storm of passionate tears,
mingled with the fiercest invectives against Mr Gordon for his
injustice.

"Never mind, Eric," said his father; "only take care that you never get
a punishment _justly_, and I shall always be as proud of you as I am
now. And don't cherish this resentment, my boy; it will only do you
harm. Try to forgive and forget."

"But, father, Mr Gordon is so hasty. I have indeed been rather a
favourite of his, yet now he shows that he has no confidence in me. It
is a great shame that he shouldn't believe my word. I don't mind the
pain; but I shan't like him any more, and I'm sure now I shan't get the
examination prize."

"You don't mean, Eric, that he will be influenced by partiality in the
matter?"

"No, father, not exactly; at least I dare say he won't _intend_ to be.
But it is unlucky to be on bad terms with a master, and I know I shan't
work so well."

On the whole the boy was right in thinking this incident a misfortune.
Although he had nothing particular for which to blame himself, yet the
affair had increased his pride, while it lowered his self-respect; and
he had an indistinct consciousness that the popularity in his form would
do him as much harm as the