hat before I came; and so I soon
fell into the ways here. Have you anybody to teach you?"

"No--yes--why, no. I thought Phil would have showed me things; but he
does not seem to mind me at all." And Hugh bit his lip, and fanned
himself faster.

"Ah! He attends to you more than you think."

"Does he? Then why--but what good does it do me?"

"What good? His holding off makes you push your own way. It lets you
make friends for yourself."

"I have no friends here," said Hugh.

"Yes, you have. Here am I. You would not have had me, if you had been
at Proctor's heels at this moment."

"Will you be my friend, then?"

"That I will."

"What, a great boy like you, that sits reading in a tree! But I may
read here beside you. You said there was room for two."

"Ay; but you must not use it yet,--at least, not often, if you wish to
do well here. Everybody knows I can play at anything. From the time I
became captain of the wall at fives, I have had liberty to do what I
like, without question. But you must show that you are up to play,
before they will let you read in peace and quiet."

"But how can I, if--if--"

"Once show your spirit,--prove that you can shift for yourself, and you
will find Phil open out wonderfully. He and you will forget all his
shyness then. Once show him that he need not be ashamed of you--"

"Ashamed of me!" cried Hugh, firing up.

"Yes. Little boys are looked upon as girls in a school till they show
that they are little men. And then again, you have been brought up with
girls,--have not you?"

"To be sure; and so was he."

"And half the boys here, I dare say. Well, they are called Bettys
till--"

"I am not a Betty," cried Hugh, flashing again.

"They suppose you are, because you part your hair, and do as you have
been used to do at home."

"What business have they with my hair? I might as well call them Bruins
for wearing theirs shaggy."

"Very true. They will let you and your hair alone when they see what
you are made of; and then Phil will--"

"He will own me when I don't want it; and now, when he might help me,
there he is, far off, never caring about what becomes of me!"

"O yes, he does. He is watching you all the time. You and he will have
it all out some day before Christmas, and then you will see how he
really cares about you. Really your hair is very long,--too like a
girl's. Shall I cut it for you?"

"I should like it," said Hugh, "but I don't wa