ll run off; that's what I'll do!"

His father did not take any notice of him, and his mother only said,
"Pony, Pony!" while his sisters all stood round frightened at the way Pony
howled and thrashed the lounge with his legs.

But before one o'clock Pony washed his face and brushed his hair, and took
his books and started for school. His mother tried to kiss him, but he
pushed her off, for it seemed to him that she might have made his father
let him stay out of school, if she had tried, and he was not going to have
any of her pretending. He made his face very cold and hard as he marched
out of the house, for he never meant to come back to that house any more.
He meant to go to school that afternoon, but as soon as school was out he
was going to run off.

When the fellows saw him coming back with his books they knew how it was,
but they did not mock him, for he had done everything that he could, and
all that was expected of anybody in such a case. A boy always came back
when he had left school in that way, and nobody supposed but what he
would; the thing was to leave school; after that you were not to blame,
whatever happened.

Before recess it began to be known among them that Pony was going to run
off, because his father had made him come back, and then they did think he
was somebody; and as soon as they got out at recess they all crowded round
him and began to praise him up, and everything, and to tell him that they
would run off, too, if their fathers sent them back; and so he began to be
glad that he was going to do it. They asked him when he was going to run
off, and he told them they would see; and pretty soon it was understood
that he was going to run off the same night.

When school was out a whole crowd of them started with him, and some of
the biggest fellows walked alongside of him, and talked down over their
shoulders to him, and told him what he must do. They said he must not
start till after dark, and he must watch out for the constable till he got
over the corporation line and then nobody could touch him. They said that
they would be waiting round the corner for him as soon as they had their
suppers, and one of them would walk along with him to the end of the first
street and then another would be waiting there to go with him to the end
of the next, and so on till they reached the corporation line. Very likely
his father would have the constable waiting there to stop him, but Pony
ought to start to run