beer, and he ate and drank, listening to the
pleasant talk, and wondering how soon he should be in the fifth, and one
of that much-envied society.

As he got up to leave, Brooke said, "You must shake hands to-morrow
morning; I shall come and see that done after first lesson."

And so he did. And Tom and the Slogger shook hands with great
satisfaction and mutual respect. And for the next year or two, whenever
fights were being talked of, the small boys who had been present shook
their heads wisely, saying, "Ah! but you should just have seen the fight
between Slogger Williams and Tom Brown!"

And now, boys all, three words before we quit the subject. I have put in
this chapter on fighting of malice prepense, partly because I want to
give you a true picture of what every-day school life was in my time,
and not a kid-glove and go-to-meeting-coat picture; and partly because
of the cant and twaddle that's talked of boxing and fighting with fists
now-a-days. Even Thackeray has given in to it; and only a few weeks ago
there was some rampant stuff in the _Times_ on the subject, in an
article on field sports.

Boys will quarrel, and when they quarrel will sometimes fight. Fighting
with fists is the natural and English way for English boys to settle
their quarrels. What substitute for it is there, or ever was there,
amongst any nation under the sun? What would you like to see take its
place?

Learn to box, then, as you learn to play cricket and football. Not one
of you will be the worse, but very much the better for learning to box
well. Should you never have to use it in earnest, there's no exercise in
the world so good for the temper, and for the muscles of the back and
legs.

As to fighting, keep out of it if you can, by all means. When the time
comes, if it ever should, that you have to say "Yes" or "No" to a
challenge to fight, say "No" if you can,--only take care you make it
clear to yourselves why you say "No." It's a proof of the highest
courage, if done from true Christian motives. It's quite right and
justifiable, if done from a simple aversion to physical pain and danger.
But don't say "No" because you fear a licking, and say or think it's
because you fear God, for that's neither Christian nor honest. And if
you do fight, fight it out; and don't give in while you can stand and
see.

CHAPTER VI.

FEVER IN THE SCHOOL.

"This our hope for all that's mortal,
And we too shall burst t