't you taste a bottle, sir?" and he hastily made a cork bounce, and
poured it out.

That, of course, was genuine, but Norman was "up to him," in schoolboy
phrase.

"Give me yours, Larkins."

No pop ensued. Larkins, enjoying the detection, put his hands on his
knees and looked wickedly up in the old man's face to see what was
coming.

"Bless me! it is a little flat. I wonder how that happened? I'll be
most happy to change it, sir. Wife! what's the meaning of Mr. Larkins's
ginger-pop being so flat?"

"It is very curious ginger-beer indeed, Mr. Ballhatchet," said Norman;
"and since it is liable to have such strange properties, I cannot allow
it to be used any more at the school."

"Very well, sir-as you please, sir. You are the first gentleman as has
objected, sir."

"And, once for all, I give you warning," added Norman, "that if I
have reason to believe you have been obliging the young gentlemen, the
magistrates and the trustees of the road shall certainly hear of it."

"You would not hurt a poor man, sir, as is drove to it--you as has such
a name for goodness!"

"I have given you warning," said Norman. "The next time I find any of
your bottles in the school fields, your licence goes. Now, there are
your goods. Give Mr. Larkins back the fifteen-pence. I wonder you are
not ashamed of such a charge!"

Having extracted the money, Norman turned to leave the shop. Larkins,
triumphant, "Ha! there's Harrison!" as the tutor rode by, and they
touched their caps. "How he stared! My eyes! June, you'll be had up for
dealing with old Ball!" and he went into an ecstasy of laughing. "You've
settled him, I believe. Well, is justice satisfied?"

"It would be no use thrashing you," said Norman, laughing, as he leaned
against the parapet of the bridge, and pinched the boy's ear. "There's
nothing to be got out of you but chaff."

Larkins was charmed with the compliment.

"But I'll tell you what, Larkins, I can't think how a fellow like you
can go and give in to these sneaking, underhand tricks that make you
ashamed to look one in the face."

"It is only for the fun of it."

"Well, I wish you would find your fun some other way. Come, Larkins,
recollect yourself a little--you have a home not so far off. How do you
think your father and mother would fancy seeing you reading the book you
had yesterday, or coming out of Ballhatchet's with a bottle of spirits,
called by a false name?"

Larkins pinched his fingers; home was a