he dared
not refuse."

Another peal of laughter rang through the room, in which Hamilton
joined heartily.

"Then," continued Salisbury, "doctor said he hoped he would feel
a little better for his dose--and, becoming as grave as before, he
desired he would return Mrs. Guppy's things, and beg her pardon for
his impertinence."

"He didn't do so, surely?" said Jones.

"He did, though," replied Salisbury; "and I wouldn't have been him if
he'd been obstinate; but he added--I wondered how even _he_ dared--_I've
saved you a little trouble, ma'am, there are six of them in bed_."

"Oh! oh! disgraceful!" exclaimed Hamilton.

"What did Fudge say?" asked Smith.

"'THIS TO MY FACE, SIR!' and then, what he was going to do I don't know,
but Frank was quite frightened, and begged pardon so very humbly that
at last Fudge let him off with five hundred lines of Virgil to be done
before Wednesday evening, and then sent him to bed--and there he is,
for he was too much alarmed to play any more tricks."

"I'd have given something to have seen it," cried one, when the laugh
was a little over.

"I think," said Jones, "all things considered, that the doctor was
tolerably lenient."

"Oh! Digby's a little bit of a favorite, I fancy," said Meredith.

"Not a bit," said Reginald. "What do you say, Hamilton?"

"Nothing," said Hamilton, shortly.

"One would think you never liked a joke, Hamilton," said Peters.

"Nor do I, when it is so low as to be practical," said Hamilton.
"I feel no sympathy whatever with him."

The event furnished idle conversation enough for that evening, and it
was long before it was forgotten; and, in spite of Frank's reiterated
boast that he did not care, and his apparent participation in the
mirth occasioned by his failure, it required the utmost exercise of
his habitual good-humor to bear equally the untiring teasing of his
school-fellows, and the still more trying coldness and sarcasm of
his master, whose manner very perceptibly altered towards him for
some time after. Casson took care that no one in the lower school
should be ignorant of Frank's defeat, and stimulated the little boys
to tease him--but this impertinence, being an insult to the dignity of
the seniors, was revenged by them as a body, and the juvenile tormentors
were too much awe-struck and alarmed to venture on a repetition of their
offence.

CHAPTER XVI.

During Louis' frequent walks with Hamilton, it must not be supposed
that h