eir usual good spirits. No
one seemed to bear a grudge against me for that cold eel-pie, and one or
two assured me that they had enjoyed themselves immensely.

Nothing could speak more for my greenness and vanity than the fact that
I believed what they said, and felt more convinced than ever that my
party, however it had _seemed_ to go off, had really been a success.

On my return to Beadle Square that evening I found a letter waiting for
me, and to my joy and surprise it was in Jack Smith's own handwriting.
It said:

"Dear Fred,--You'll be glad to hear I'm off the sick list at last, and
have been turned out a perfect cure. Mrs Shield, my sister's nurse and
friend, insists on my taking it easy another week, and then I shall come
up to town, and mean to work like a nigger to make up for lost time.
I'll tell you all the news when I come. I'm afraid you've been having a
slow time.--Yours ever, Jack.

"P.S.--I've written to M., B., and Company, to tell them I'll be up on
Monday next."

It seemed almost too good to be true that I should so soon see my friend
again. Ah! how different it would all be when he came back! For the
next week I could think of nothing else. What a lot I should have to
tell him! How he would laugh over my adventures and misfortunes, and
how he would scold me for my extravagances and follies! Well, these
would be over at last, that was a comfort.

So, during the week, in view of giving up my extravagances, I bought a
new suit of ready-made clothes that only half fitted me, and went on the
Saturday afternoon with Whipcord and the Twins to see a steeplechase,
where I was tempted to put two half-crowns, which I borrowed from the
Twins, into a sweepstake, and lost them both. This was a good finish up
to my little "fling" and no mistake; so much so that I began to think it
was a pity Jack had not come last Monday instead of next.

"He would have kept me out of all this mischief," said I to myself. Ah!
I had yet to learn that if one wants to keep out of mischief one must
not depend altogether upon one's friends, or even oneself, for the
blessing. Strength must be sought from a higher Power and a better
Friend!

At last the long-looked-for Monday arrived, and I went down to the
station in the evening to meet Jack's train.

I could scarcely have said what feeling it was which prompted me to
wear, not my new stripe suit, but my old clothes, shabby as they were,
or why, instead of wearing m