ing or preventing him. Poor Monty grew very
sad at heart, and this perpetual dastardly annoyance weighed the more
heavily on his spirits, from its being of a kind which peculiarly grated
on his refined taste, and his natural sense of what was gentlemanly
and fair.

One night, coming down, as usual, in melancholy dread, he saw a light
under the door of his room. It struck him that he was earlier than
usual, and he walked up quickly and noiselessly. There they were at it!
The instant he entered, there was a rush through the opposite door, and
he felt convinced that one of the retreating figures was Brigson's. In a
second he had sprung across, so as to prevent the rest from running, and
with heaving breast and flaming eyes, glared at the intruders as they
stood there, sheepish and afraid.

"What!" he said angrily, "so _you_ are the fellows who have had the
cowardice to annoy me thus, night after night, for weeks; you miserable,
degraded young animals!" And he looked at the four or five who had not
made their escape. "What! and _you_ among them," he said with a start,
as he caught the eye of Vernon Williams--"Oh, this is too bad." His tone
showed the deepest sorrow and vexation, and for a moment he said no
more. Instantly Vernon was by him.

"_Do_ forgive me, _do_ forgive me, Montagu," he said; "I really didn't
know it teased you so much."

But Montagu shook him off, and at once recovered himself. "Wretched
boys! let me see what you have been doing to-night. Oh, as usual," he
said, glancing at the complete disorder which they had been effecting.
"Ha! but what is this? So Brigson has introduced another vile secret
among you. Well, he shall rue it!" and he pointed to some small, almost
invisible flakes of a whitish substance scattered here and there over
his pillow. It was a kind of powder, which if once it touched the skin,
caused the most violent and painful irritation.

"By heavens, this is _too_ bad!" he exclaimed, stamping his foot with
anger. "What have I ever done to you young blackguards, that you should
treat me thus? Have I ever been a bully? Have I ever harmed one of you?
And _you_, too, Vernon Williams!"

The little boy trembled and looked ashamed under his noble glance of
sorrow and scorn.

"Well, I _know_ who has put you up to this; but you shall not escape so.
I shall thrash you every one."

Very quietly he suited the action to the word, sparing none. They took
it patiently enough, conscious of richly