s, the respect for
authorities, the desire to measure himself with his companions--all tend
to keep him right and diligent. But many of these incentives are
removed after the first brush of novelty, and many a lad who has given
good promise at first, turns out, after a short probation, idle or
vicious, or indifferent.

But there was little comparative danger for Eric, so long as he
continued to be a home-boarder, which was for another half-year. On the
contrary, he was anxious to support in his new remove the prestige of
having been head-boy; and as he still continued under Mr Gordon, he
really wished to turn over a new leaf in his conduct towards him, and
recover, if possible, his lost esteem.

His popularity was a fatal snare. He enjoyed and was very proud of it,
and was half inclined to be angry with Russell for not fully sharing his
feelings; but Russell had a far larger experience of school-life than
his new friend, and dreaded with all his heart lest "he should follow a
multitude to do evil."

The "cribbing," which had astonished and pained Eric at first, was more
flagrant than even in the Upper-Fourth, and assumed a chronic form. In
all the Repetition lessons one of the boys used to write out in a large
hand the passage to be learnt by heart, and dexterously pin it to the
front of Mr Gordon's desk. There any boy who chose could read it off
with little danger of detection, and, as before, the only boys who
refused to avail themselves of this trickery were Eric, Russell, and
Owen.

Eric did _not_ yield to it; never once did he suffer his eyes to glance
at the paper when his turn to repeat came round. But although this was
the case, he never spoke against the practice to the other boys, even
when he lost places by it. Nay more, he would laugh when any one told
him how he had escaped "skewing" (i.e. being turned) by reading it off;
and he even went so far as to allow them to suppose that he wouldn't
himself object to take advantage of the master's unsuspicious
confidence.

"I say, Williams," said Duncan, one morning as they strolled into the
school-yard, "do you know your Repetition?"

"No," said Eric, "not very well; I haven't given more than ten minutes
to it."

"Oh, well, never mind it now; come and have a game at racquets. Russell
and Montagu have taken the court."

"But I shall skew."

"Oh no, you needn't, you know. I'll take care to pin it upon the desk
near you."

"Well, I don't much ca