emen;" and into Mr Carnaby's, "Hold your
din."

Firth was too busy with his sense-verses to mind the little boys, as
they giggled, with their heads close together, over Hugh's sheet of
paper; but the usher was never too busy to be aware of any fun which
might possibly concern his dignity. He had his eye on the new boys the
whole while. He let Hugh direct his letter, and paint up a stroke or
two which did not look so well as the rest; and it was not till Hugh was
rolling the wafer about on his tongue that he interfered. Mr Carnaby
then came up, tapped Hugh's head, told him not to get on so fast, for
that every letter must be looked over before it went to the post. While
saying this, he took the letter, and put it into his waistcoat pocket.
In vain Hugh begged to have it again, saying he would write another.
The more he begged, and the more dismayed Tom Holt looked, the less Mr
Carnaby would attend to either. Firth let himself be interrupted to
hear the case: but he could do nothing in it. It was a general rule,
which he thought every boy had known; and it was too late now to prevent
the letter being looked over.

Mr Carnaby was so angry at the liberty Hugh had taken with his face and
figure, that, in spite of all prayers, and a good many tears, he walked
up the school with the letter, followed by poor Hugh, as soon as Mr
Tooke had taken his seat next morning. Hugh thought that Holt, who had
put him up to the most offensive part of the pictures, might have borne
him company; but Holt was a timid boy, and he really had not courage to
leave his seat. So Hugh stood alone, awaiting Mr Tooke's awful words,
while the whole of the first class looked up from their books, in
expectation of what was to happen. They waited some time for the
master's words; for he was trying to help laughing. He and Mr Carnaby
were so much alike in the pictures, and both so like South Sea
islanders, that it was impossible to help laughing at the thought of
this sketch going abroad as a representation of the Crofton masters. At
last all parties laughed aloud, and Mr Tooke handed Hugh his
wafer-glass, and bade him wafer up his letter, and by all means send it.
Mr Carnaby could not remain offended if his principal was not angry:
so here the matter ended, except that Hugh made some strong resolutions
about his future letters, and that the corners of the master's mouth
were seen to be out of their usual order several times in the course of
th