cious that in his anger he had already said too
much. Mr. Morrison was called away from the table at this point, and
Leonard felt relieved that no further questions could be asked.

Later he went to the little room where lessons were learned, and found
his sister sitting in her usual place. 'Mother wished me to come,
Len,' she said, in explanation of her presence.

'All right, Duffy--not that you are such a duffer,' he added, 'and I
shall try to find another name for you.'

'Oh, Duffy will do. Don't waste your time thinking about another name
for me. What's in a name after all? It's what you are, not what name
you are called by. I say, what is this swatting club father has heard
about? You never told me about it.'

'Never heard of it myself before. Won't Taylor be mad when I tell him,
for if there is one thing he hates it is swat! He says it's low and
vulgar, and not fit for a school like Torrington's.'

'But you know father doesn't think that, and I am sure you ought to
know that father is wiser than Taylor, if he is the biggest boy in the
school.'

'As if that made any difference! You're just as much of a duffer as
ever, to think such a thing,' he added.

'Well, what is it about Taylor that makes you call him the "cock of
the walk?" I met him at a party last week, and I did not think much of
him, I can tell you.'

'Ah! that's because you are a girl, and don't know anything. Taylor is
a jolly fellow.'

'Well, I'm glad he's not my brother, for he is not very kind to his
sister, and he was quite rude to his mother. He is no gentleman, and
so he has no right to find fault with father because he sent a board
school boy to sit with him at Torrington's.'

Leonard only laughed at his sister's denunciation of his hero; but he
was curious to learn what had been said about this swatting
club--whether she had heard it spoken of before to-day. 'I should like
to know how long they have been at it, and who are in it,' he said.

'Father said Warren and the scholarship boy; he was telling mother
about it when you came in.'

'Oh, that scholarship boy is at the bottom of the whole mischief, of
course,' said Leonard; 'but I should like to know how many more are in
it; it's no good going to Taylor with half a tale. Won't he be mad,
when he hears of this last move! Warren is forbidden to fight, too! I
wonder why that is? Something wrong with his head, I shouldn't
wonder,' added Leonard, after a minute's thought.

'Why, wha