the keeper. "Master's told we as we
might have all the rods--"

"Oh, please, sir," broke in Tom, "the rod isn't mine." The Doctor
looked puzzled, but the keeper, who was a good-hearted fellow, and
melted at Tom's evident distress, gave up his claim. Tom was flogged
next morning, and a few days afterward met Velveteens, and presented
him with a half a crown for giving up the rod claim, and they became
sworn friends; and I regret to say that Tom had many more fish from
under the willow that May-fly season, and was never caught again by
Velveteens.

MORE SCRAPES.

It wasn't three weeks before Tom, and now East by his side, were again
in the awful presence. This time, however, the Doctor was not so
terrible. A few days before, they had been fagged at fives to fetch
the balls that went off the Court. While standing watching the game,
they saw five or six nearly new balls hit on the top of the School. "I
say, Tom," said East, when they were dismissed, "couldn't we get those
balls somehow?"

"Let's try, anyhow."

So they reconnoitered the walls carefully, borrowed a coal-hammer from
old Stumps, bought some big nails, and after one or two attempts
scaled the School, and possessed themselves of huge quantities of
fives'-balls. The place pleased them so much that they spent all their
spare time there scratching and cutting their names on the top of
every tower; and at last, having exhausted all other places, finished
up with inscribing H. EAST, T. BROWN, on the minute-hand of the great
clock. In the doing of which, they held the minute-hand, and disturbed
the clock's economy. So next morning, when masters and boys came
trooping down to prayers, and entered the quadrangle, the injured
minute-hand was indicating three minutes to the hour. They all pulled
up, and took their time. When the hour struck, doors were closed, and
half the School late. Thomas being set to make inquiry, discovers
their names on the minute-hand, and reports accordingly; and they are
sent for, a knot of their friends making derisive and pantomimic
allusions to what their fate will be, as they walk off.

But the Doctor, after hearing their story, doesn't make much of it,
and only gives them thirty lines of Homer to learn by heart, and a
lecture on the likelihood of such exploits ending in broken bones.

THE DOCTOR REIGNING.

Alas! almost the next day was one of the great fairs in the town; and
as several rows and other disagreeable accidents had