nd presently looked up and met East's eyes. That young gentleman
slapped him on the back, and then put his arm round his shoulder, as
they strolled through the quadrangle together. "Tom," said he, "blest if
you ain't the best old fellow ever was--I do like to see you go into a
thing. Hang it, I wish I could take things as you do--but I never can
get higher than a joke. Everything's a joke. If I was going to be
flogged next minute, I should be in a blue funk, but I couldn't help
laughing at it for the life of me."

"Brown and East, you go and fag for Jones on the great fives'-court."

"Hullo, though, that's past a joke," broke out East, springing at the
young gentleman who addressed them, and catching him by the collar.
"Here, Tommy, catch hold of him t'other side before he can holla."

The youth was seized, and dragged struggling out of the quadrangle into
the School-house hall. He was one of the miserable little pretty
white-handed curly-headed boys, petted and pampered by some of the big
fellows, who wrote their verses for them, taught them to drink and use
bad language, and did all they could to spoil them for everything[D] in
this world and the next. One of the avocations in which these young
gentlemen took particular delight, was in going about and getting fags
for their protectors, when those heroes were playing any game. They
carried about pencil and paper with them, putting down the names of all
the boys they sent, always sending five times as many as were wanted,
and getting all those thrashed who didn't go. The present youth belonged
to a house which was very jealous of the School-house, and always picked
out School-house fags when he could find them. However, this time he'd
got the wrong sow by the ear. His captors slammed the great door of the
hall, and East put his back against it, while Tom gave the prisoner a
shake-up, took away his list, and stood him up on the floor, while he
proceeded leisurely to examine that document.

"Let me out, let me go!" screamed the boy in a furious passion. "I'll go
and tell Jones this minute, and he'll give you both the ---- thrashing
you ever had."

"Pretty little dear," said East, patting the top of his hat; "hark how
he swears, Tom. Nicely brought-up young man, ain't he, I don't think."

"Let me alone, ---- you," roared the boy, foaming with rage, and kicking
at East, who quietly tripped him up, and deposited him on the floor in a
place of safety.

"Gently, young f