yourselves with spirits; fine spree, to----"

"Amen!" said Wildney, who was perched on the back of a chair; and he
turned up his eyes and clasped his hands with a mock-heroic air.

"There, Williams," continued Montagu, pointing to the
mischievous-looking little boy; "see that spectacle, and be ashamed of
yourself, if you can. That's what you lead boys to! Are you anxious to
become the teacher of drunkenness?"

In truth, there was good ground for his sorrowful apostrophe, for the
scene was very painful to a high-minded witness.

They hardly understood the look on Eric's countenance; he had been
taking far more than was good for him; his eyes sparkled fiercely, and
though as yet he said nothing, he seemed to be resenting the intrusion
in furious silence.

"How much longer is this interesting lecture to last?" asked Bull, with
his usual insufferable drawl; "for I want to finish my brandy."

Montagu rather looked as if he intended to give the speaker a box on the
ear; but he was just deciding that Bull wasn't worth the trouble, when
Wildney, who had been grimacing all the time, burst into a fit
of laughter.

"Let's turn out these impudent lower-school fellows," said Montagu,
speaking to Duncan. "Here! you go first," he said, seizing Wildney by
the arm, and giving him a swing, which, as he was by no means steady on
his legs, brought him sprawling to the ground.

"By Jove, I won't stand this any longer," shouted Eric, springing up
ferociously. "What on earth do you mean by daring to come in like this?
Do you hear?"

Montagu took no sort of notice of his threatening gesture, for he was
looking to see if Wildney was hurt, and finding he was not, proceeded to
drag him out, struggling and kicking frantically.

"Drop me, you fellow, drop me, I say. I won't go for you," cried
Wildney, shaking with passion. "Eric, why do you let him bully me?"

"You let him go this minute," repeated Eric, hoarsely.

"I shall do no such thing. You don't know what you're about."

"Don't I? Well, then, take _that_, to show whether I do or no!" and
suddenly leaning forward, he struck Montagu a violent back-handed blow
on the mouth.

Everybody saw it, everybody heard it; and it instantly astounded them
into silence. That Montagu should have been struck in public, and that
by Eric--by a boy who had loved him, and whom he had loved--by a boy who
had been his schoolfellow for three years now, and whose whole life
seemed bound to him by so m