s on the forehead which would speedily become black, and the blood
was flowing from a cut on his lip, his eyes had a dazed and half stupid
look.

"Oh! William!" Mrs. Mulready said as she looked at her son, "how could
you hurt him so!"

"Hurt him, the young reptile!" Mr. Mulready said savagely. "I meant to
hurt him. I will hurt him more next time."

Mrs. Mulready paid no attention to his words, but went up to Ned.

"Ned, my boy," she said tenderly, "what is it? Don't look like that,
Ned; speak to me."

His mother's voice seemed to rouse Ned into consciousness. He drew a
long breath, then slowly passed his hand across his eyes, and lips, and
mouth. He looked at his mother and seemed about to speak, but no sound
came from his lips. Then his eye fell on his stepfather, who, rather
alarmed at the boy's appearance, was standing near the door. The
expression of Ned's face changed, his mouth became set and rigid, his
eyes dilated, and Mr. Mulready, believing that he was about to spring
upon him, drew back hastily half a step and threw up his hands to defend
himself. Mrs. Mulready threw herself in Ned's way; the boy made no
effort to put her aside, but kept his eyes fixed over her shoulder at
his stepfather.

"Take care!" he said hoarsely, "it will be my turn next time, and when
it comes I will kill you, you brute."

"Oh, go away, William!" Mrs. Mulready cried; "oh! do go away, or there
will be more mischief. Oh! Ned, do sit down, and don't look so dreadful;
he is going now."

Mr. Mulready turned and went with a laugh which he intended to be
scornful, but in which there was a strong tinge of uneasiness. He had
always in his heart been afraid of this boy with his wild and reckless
temper, and felt that in his present mood Ned was capable of anything.
Still as Mr. Mulready took his seat in his gig his predominant feeling
was satisfaction.

"I am glad I have given him a lesson," he muttered to himself, "and have
paid him off for months of insolence. He won't try it on again, and as
for his threats, pooh! he'll be gone in a few weeks, and there will be
an end of it."

After he had gone Mrs. Mulready tried to soothe Ned, but the boy would
not listen to her, and in fact did not seem to hear her.

"Don't you mind, mother," he said in a strange, quiet voice, "I will pay
him off;" and muttering these words over and over again he went out into
the hall, took down his cap in a quiet, mechanical sort of way, put it
on, opened