g's
guidance. He was shortly to go up for his first B.A. in London, and,
with that ordeal in view, had been tempted to tax his strength even more
than was good for him.

At last the tutor put down his foot.

"No, old fellow," said he; "if you work any move you will go backwards
instead of forward. You must take this week easy, and go up fresh for
the exam. Depend on it, you will do far better than if you tried to
keep it up till the last moment."

In vain Roger pleaded, threatened, mutinied. The tutor was inexorable,
and, fortified by the joint authority of Mrs Ingleton and Dr Brandram,
carried the day. He had also an unexpected ally in Miss Rosalind.

"Don't be obstinate, Roger," said she. "The three Fates are too many
for you; and don't sulk, whatever you do, there's a dear boy, but make
yourself nice and propose to take Tom and Jill and me across to Pulpit
Island to-morrow. If you are so wedded to lessons, you and Tom shall
have your art class for once in a way on the Pelican's Rock instead of
my room."

Roger could hardly hold out after this; and Mr Armstrong, a little
envious, set the seal of his approval to the programme.

"I wish you'd come too," said Tom; "can't you?"

"Oh, do," said Jill; "it would be twice as nice."

"Mr Armstrong has enough of all of us on working-days," said Rosalind
rather cruelly, "to forego a chance of being rid of us on a holiday."

"Quite so," said the tutor, trying to enjoy the situation; "when the
mice are away the cat will play--on the piano."

The next day promised well for the picnic; and Roger had sufficiently
warmed up to the proposed expedition to be able to enter eagerly into
the preparations.

The Pulpit Island, a desolate cavernous rock three miles from the coast,
dominated by a lighthouse, was a familiar hunting-ground of his in days
gone by, and he decidedly enjoyed the prospect of doing the honours of
the place to his cousins now--particularly one of them.

As not a breath of air was stirring, they decided not to encumber the
small boat with mast or sail, but to row leisurely across with just as
much energy as suited their holiday humour. The channel was on the
whole free from currents, and, as Roger knew the landing-places as well
as the oldest sailor in the place, any precaution in the way of a pilot
was needless.

Armstrong, as he watched the little craft slowly glide over the glassy
water, dwindling smaller and smaller, but sending back the soun