t his leg, as he smoothed it down. But his face cleared directly.

"Er--rum!" he continued, clearing his voice. "Of having a brief
cessation from our studies upon the advent of a new boy. Young
gentlemen, you may close your books for to-day."

There was a hearty cheer at this, and the Doctor rose, thrust his hand
into his breast beside his white shirt-frill, then, waving the other
majestically, he turned to me as the cheering ceased.

"Burr junior," he said, "you can return to your seat."

I stepped back, forgetting all about the dais, and fell rather heavily,
but sprang up again, scarlet with mortification.

"Not hurt? No? That's right," said the Doctor; and amid a chorus of
"Thank you, sir! thank you, sir!" he marched slowly out of the great
room, closely followed by Mr Rebble, while I stood, shaken by my fall,
and half dazed by the uproar.

CHAPTER TWO.

How strange it all seemed! I had ridden down the previous day by the
Hastings coach, which had left me with my big box at the old inn at
Middlehurst. Here the fly had been ordered to take me the remaining ten
miles on to the school, where I had arrived just at dusk, and, after a
supper of bread and milk, I was shown my bed, one of six in a large
room, and made the acquaintance of Mercer, who, after pretty well
peppering me with questions, allowed me to go to sleep in peace, till
the bell rang at six, when I sprang out of bed, confused and puzzled at
finding myself there instead of at home. Then, as the reality forced
itself upon me, and I was scowled at by five sleepy boys, all in the
ill-humoured state caused by being obliged to get up before they
pleased, I hurriedly dressed, thinking that I could never settle down to
such a life as that, and wondering what my uncle and my mother would say
if I started off, went straight back, and told them I did not mean to
stop at school.

Everything looked cheerless and miserable, for there was a thick fog
outside, one which had been wafted over from the sea, so that there was
no temptation to go out, and, in spite of my low spirits, I was hungry
enough to make me long for breakfast.

This was laid for us in the schoolroom, to which the boys flocked, as
the big bell on the top of the building rang out again, and here I found
that there were two long tables, as I supposed, till I was warned about
being careful, when I found that they were not tables, but the double
school-desks with the lids of the boys' loc