small money, and the notion pleased him.
Besides he was not particularly disappointed; so long as he got what he
wanted at the moment, it was not his nature to look much further. But
he did not sleep much that night. Again this Crawley had scored off
him, by putting himself in the position of generous benefactor and
chivalrous defender of the weak, with him (Saurin) for his foil. There
was one comfort; he was not so much afraid of Crawley as he did not
conceal from himself that he had once been. Hitherto he had feared that
if it came to a quarrel, he would not get the best of it, and this had
caused him to restrain himself on many occasions when he had longed to
give vent to his feelings. But, now that he had skill and science on
his side, the case was different, and the balance in his favour; and if
this wonderful Crawley, whom everybody made such a fuss about, did not
like what he had to say to him, he might do the other thing.

The boys were gathered about the quadrangle in groups, waiting to go in
for eight o'clock school, for the different class-rooms were not open
till the master of each came with his key and unlocked the door, by
which time all the class were expected to be outside, ready to go in
with him. And so it was the custom to assemble rather early, and now,
though it was ten minutes to the hour by the big clock, the majority had
arrived. Directly Saurin came he looked for Crawley, and saw him
standing chatting with some other fellows. He walked straight up to
him.

"Oh, Crawley!" he said, "I hear that you paid that Italian blackguard
half-a-crown for his broken crockery yesterday, and since he made his
claim upon _me_, though I owed him nothing, I don't choose to let it
look as if you had paid anything for me, so here is your money back;"
and he tendered the half-crown, which the other did not put his hand out
to receive. This exasperated Saurin still more. "Take it," he said;
"only I'll thank you not to be so confoundedly officious again."

"I don't want your money," said Crawley quietly. "You are entirely
mistaken; I paid nothing for you. If I knew the image man's address I
would forward him your half-crown, but I do not. So you must hunt it up
for yourself if you want to make restitution."

"But you paid him the money."

"That was an act of private charity. The man whom you call a
blackguard--I don't know why, for _he_ had not been destroying any
defenceless person's property--had