.

Directly after class he had marched boldly to the Henniker's parlour and
knocked at the door.

"Come in!" snapped she.

Smith did come in, and proceeded to business at once.

"You haven't given me all my letter, ma'am," he said.

Miss Henniker looked at him with some of the same astonishment with
which she had regarded me when I once told her she was to see my socks
were regularly darned.

Then she pulled herself up, in her usual chilly manner, and replied, "I
am aware of that, Smith."

"I want it, please, ma'am," said Smith.

Again the Henniker glared at this audacious youth, and again she
replied, "You will not have it, Smith!"

"Why not?"

"Leave the room instantly, sir, for daring to speak like that to me, and
write out one hundred lines of Caesar before you get your dinner!" cried
the Henniker, indignantly. "You've no right to keep--"

"Smith, follow me!" interrupted Miss Henniker, in her most irresistible
voice, as she led the way to Mr Ladislaw's study.

Smith did follow her, and was flogged, of course.

I was as indignant as he was at this tale of injustice; it reminded me
of my box of sweets last year, which I had never seen back.

Smith's rage was beyond all bounds. "I won't stand it!" said he;
"that's all about it, Fred!"

"What can we do?" asked I.

That was the question. And there was no answering it. So we slunk back
to our places, nursing our wrath in our bosoms, and vowing all sorts of
vengeance on the Henniker.

Nor were we the only boys in this condition of mind. Whether it was the
Henniker was thoroughly upset by her toothache, or by Hawkesbury's bad
conduct and Smith's impertinence, I cannot say, but for the next day or
two she even excelled herself in the way she went on.

There was nothing we could do, or think, or devise, that she did not
pounce upon and punish us for. Some were detained, some were set to
impositions, some were flogged, some were reduced to bread and water,
some had most if not all of their worldly goods confiscated. Even
Hawkesbury shared the general fate, and for a whole week all Stonebridge
House groaned as it had never groaned before.

Then we could stand it no longer. We all felt that; and we all found
out that everybody else felt it. But as usual the question was, what to
do?

It was almost impossible to speak to one another, so closely were we
watched, and even when we did, we discovered that we were all at sixes
and sevens, and agreed