and his
business more. You disbelieved! but I'll see justice done you, Norman,
the first thing to-morrow. Well--"

"Well then, I said, old Ballhatchet could tell that I crossed the bridge
at the very time they were doing this pretty piece of work, for he was
sitting smoking in his porch when I went home, and, would you believe
it? the old rascal would not remember who passed that evening! It is all
his malice and revenge--nothing else!"

"Why--what have you been doing to him?"

Norman shortly explained the ginger-beer story, and adding, "Cheviot
told me I should get nothing but ill-will, and so I have--all those town
fellows turn against me now, and though they know as well as possible
how it was, they won't say a word to right me, just out of spite,
because I have stopped them from all the mischief I could!"

"Well, then--"

"They asked me whether--since I allowed that I had been there at last--I
had dispersed the boys. I said no, I had no time. Then they desired to
know who was there, and that I had not seen; it was all dark, and there
had not been a moment, and if I guessed, it was no affair of mine to
say. So they ordered me down, and had up Ned Anderson, and one or two
more who were known to have been in the riot, and then they consulted
a good while, and sent for me; Mr. Wilmot was for me, I am sure, but
Harrison was against me. Dr. Hoxton sat there, and made me one of his
addresses. He said he would not enter on the question whether I had been
present at the repetition of the outrage, as he called it, but what was
quite certain was, that I had abused my authority and influence in the
school; I had been setting a bad example, and breaking the rules
about Ballhatchet, and so far from repressing mischief, I had been the
foremost in it, making inflammatory harangues, leading them to commit
violence the first time, and the next, if not actually taking part in
it personally, at any rate not preventing it. In short, he said it was
clear I had not weight enough for my post--it was some excuse I had been
raised to it so young--but it was necessary to show that proficiency in
studies did not compensate for disregard of discipline, and so he turned
me down below the first six! So there's another May in disgrace!"

"It shall not last--it shall not last, my boy," said Dr. May, pressing
Norman's arm; "I'll see you righted. Dr. Hoxton shall hear the whole
story. I am not for fathers interfering in general, but if ever the