this sort of thing once and for all. Hopley, where's that
ferret?"

"Pocket, Sir Hawkus," said the keeper bluntly.

"`_In--my--pocket_,' sir!" cried the old gentleman angrily. "I pay you
wages, sir, as my servant, and I've a right to proper answers. Let's
see the ferret."

The keeper took it out of the big pocket inside his velveteen jacket,
and held it up, twisting and writhing to get free and down into one of
the rabbit-holes.

"Throw it down and shoot it," said the General.

"No, sir, please don't do that!" cried Mercer excitedly, "It's such a
good ferret--please don't kill the poor thing!"

The General looked at him sharply.

"Not kill it?"

"No, sir. Please let it go."

"To live on my rabbits, eh? There, put it in your pocket. And now, you
be off with you, and if I don't have your skins well loosened to-morrow,
I'll--You'll see."

He marched off in one direction, while our guard took us in the other,
talking at us all the time.

"Disgraceful!" Mr Rebble said. "The Doctor will be nearly
heart-broken about such a stigma upon his establishment. I don't know
what he'll say."

"They will be expelled, I presume," said Mr Hasnip softly. "It is very
sad to see such wickedness in those so young."

"I'm afraid so," replied Mr Rebble; and they kept up a cheerful
conversation of this kind till we reached the school, where we were at
once ordered up to our dormitory, and dropped down upon the sides of our
beds to sit looking at each other.

"I say, you've done it now," said Mercer at last; "and I did think we
were going to have such fun."

"Fun!" I said; "it's dreadful!"

"It was capital fun till they all came and spoiled it for us. I
wouldn't care about being expelled--at least not so much, only my father
will be so disappointed."

This made me think of my mother, and of what my uncle would say if I
were dismissed from the school in disgrace; and I shivered, for this was
the most terrible part of all.

"I tell you what," said Mercer, "we're in for it, and no mistake; and we
didn't do it to steal. We only wanted a bit of sport and some rabbits
to stuff. Let's tell the doctor we're very sorry, and ask him to flog
us. It would be too bad to expel us in disgrace. What do you say?"

"They may flog me," I said sadly; "but I couldn't go home again in
disgrace like that."

"Of course not; and it's too bad to call it poaching. I'm sorry we
went, though, now."

"Yes," I said, "I'm sorry eno