o a
lower class. It is the most disgraceful idleness, Louis."

Louis' heart swelled with sorrow and shame as the doctor walked away.
He stood with downcast eyes and quivering lids, hardly able to restrain
his tears, until the class was dismissed, and he was desired to stay in
and learn his unsaid lesson.

Reginald followed his brother into the study, where Louis took his books
to learn more quietly than he could do in the school-room.

"My dear Louis," he said, "you must try; the doctor will be so displeased
if you go into a lower class; and just think what a disgrace it will be."

"I know," said Louis, wiping his eyes: "I can't tell how it is, every
thing seems to go wrong with me--I am not at all happy, and I am sure
I wish to please everybody."

"A great deal too much, dear Louis," said Reginald. "You are always
teaching everybody else, and you know you have scarcely any time
for yourself. You must tell them you _won't_ do it; I can't be always
at your elbow; I've quarrelled more with the boys than ever I did,
since you came, on your account."

"Oh dear! I am sorry I came," sighed Louis, "I do so long to be a little
quiet. Reginald, dear, I am so sorry I should give you any trouble. Oh,
I have lost all my happy thoughts, and I know every thing is sure to
go wrong."

Louis remained sadly silent for a few minutes, and then, raising his
tearful eyes to his brother, who was sitting with his chin on his hands,
watching him, he begged him to leave him, declaring he should not learn
any thing while Reginald was with him.

Thus urged, Reginald took his departure, though, with his customary
unselfish affection, he would rather have stayed and helped him.

When he was gone, Louis began slowly to turn over the leaves of his
Lexicon, in order to prepare his lesson. He had not been long thus
employed, when he was interrupted by the irruption of the greatest
dunce in the school, introduced to the reader in the former chapter
as Churchill, _alias_ Oars, a youth of fifteen, who had constant
recourse to Louis for information. He now laid his dog's-eared
Eutropius before Louis, and opened his business with his usual
"Come now, tell us, Louis--help us a bit, Louis."

"Indeed, Harry, it is impossible," said Louis sorrowfully. "I have all
my own to do, and if I do not get done before dinner I shall go into the
third class--no one helps me, you know."

"It won't take you a minute," said Churchill.

"It does take much more.