sense?" said Louis, after a pause. "Tell me,
Casson, truly, did you mean nothing just now?"

"Nothing, upon honor," said the unprincipled boy. "I wanted to see
you horrified."

Louis looked doubtfully at him. "Well, please give me my bag."

"What a hurry you are in!--you must wait till I've unloaded."

Louis followed him to the school-room, but, Casson's crowded desk not
holding all the contents of the bag, he was obliged, notwithstanding his
anxiety, to wait for his property for a day or two, at the expiration of
which time it was returned to him, and borrowed the next day for another
expedition to Mary Simmons.

CHAPTER XX.

"Open rebuke is better than secret love."

It now wanted little more than three weeks to the holidays.
Sticks for notching were in great request, and "days" cut in
paper were fastened to the testers of the several beds, to mark
more securely the weary time that must elapse before the joyful
breaking-up. Reginald and Louis had jointly decorated theirs
with an elegant drawing of Dashwood Priory, with a coach and
four in the distance, which drawing would remain uninjured till
even the last of the twenty-eight strips of paper had been detached,
when the owners tore the remainder for excess of joy. The subjects
for examination had already been given out, and those who had any
interest at stake had already commissioned Maister Dunn for candles,
and begun to rise early and sit late, or as late us was allowed, at
their various studies. It was with some little dismay that Louis
looked down the long list of subjects for the examination of his
class, for he felt that, though (thanks to Hamilton at first,
and latterly some degree of perseverance on his own part) he had
made some progress during the half-year: his friend Clifton's
indefatigable industry had placed him so far first, that it
would be almost impossible to hope for any advantage.

Hamilton was now busily engaged in the composition of a prize poem
in Latin, besides the many other things with which (to use his own
expression) he found it necessary "to cram himself"; for, however
easy, comparatively, he had found his post the preceding half-year,
he had now competitors sufficiently emulous and talented in Norman
and Frank Digby--the latter of whom had shown a moderate degree of
diligence during the half-year, and now, exerting to the utmost the
great powers with which he was gifted, bid fair, if not to distance
all his rivals, at