childhood, to open
his heart to Him who heareth the cry and beareth the sorrows of the tender
child, and the strong man in agony.

7. Tom was sitting at the bottom of his bed unlacing his boots, so that
his back was towards Arthur, and he did not see what had happened, and
looked up in wonder at the sudden silence. Then two or three boys laughed
and sneered, and a big, brutal fellow, who was standing in the middle of
the room, picked up a slipper and shied it at the kneeling boy, calling
him a sniveling young shaver.

8. Then Tom saw the whole, and the next moment the boot he had just pulled
off flew straight at the head of the bully, who had just time to throw up
his arm and catch it on his elbow. "Confound you, Brown; what's that for?"
roared he, stamping with pain. "Never mind what I mean," said Tom,
stepping on to the floor, every drop of blood in his body tingling: "if
any fellow wants the other boot, he knows how to get it."

9. What would have been the result is doubtful, for at this moment the
sixth-form boy came in, and not another word could be said. Tom and the
rest rushed into bed and finished their unrobing there, and the old
janitor had put out the candle in another minute, and toddled on to the
next room, shutting the door with his usual, "Good night, gen'l'm'n."

10. There were many boys in the room by whom that little scene was taken
to heart before they slept. But sleep seemed to have deserted the pillow
of poor Tom. For some time his excitement and the flood of memories which
chased one another though his brain, kept him from thinking or resolving.
His head throbbed, his heart leapt, and he could hardly keep himself from
springing out of bed and rushing about the room.

11. Then the thought of his own mother came across him, and the promise he
had made at her knee, years ago, never to forget to kneel by his bedside
and give himself up to his Father before he laid his head on the pillow,
from which it might never rise; and he lay down gently, and cried as if
his heart would break. He was only fourteen years old.

DEFINITIONS.--l. Waist'coat, a vest. 2. O-ver-whelmed', over-come, cast
down. 3. Nov'el-ty, newness. 4. Ab-lu'tion, the act of washing. 7.
Sneered, showed contempt. 8. Bul'ly, a noisy, blustering fellow, more
insolent than courageous. Tin'gling, having a thrilling feeling.

NOTES.--"Rugby," the scene of this story, is a celebrated grammar school
which was established at the town of R