pause, "all the best big fellows look on me
with suspicion; they think I'm a devil-may-care, reckless young scamp.
So I am--eleven hours out of twelve--but not the twelfth. Then all of
our contemporaries worth knowing follow suit, of course; we're very good
friends at games and all that, but not a soul of them but you and Arthur
ever tried to break through the crust, and see whether there was
anything at the bottom of me; and then the bad ones I won't stand, and
they know that."

"Don't you think that's half fancy, Harry?"

"Not a bit of it," said East bitterly, pegging away with his pencil. "I
see it all plain enough. Bless you, you think everybody's as
straightforward and kind-hearted as you are."

"Well, but what's the reason of it? There must be a reason. You can play
all the games as well as any one, and sing the best song, and are the
best company in the house. You fancy you're not liked, Harry. It's all
fancy."

"I only wish it was, Tom. I know I could be popular enough with all the
bad ones, but that I won't have, and the good ones won't have me."

"Why not?" persisted Tom; "you don't drink or swear, or get out at
night; you never bully, or cheat at lessons. If you only showed you
liked it, you'd have all the best fellows in the house running after
you."

"Not I," said East. Then with an effort he went on, "I'll tell you what
it is. I never stop the Sacrament. I can see, from the Doctor downwards,
how that tells against me."

"Yes, I've seen that," said Tom, "and I've been very sorry for it, and
Arthur and I have talked about it. I've often thought of speaking to
you, but it's so hard to begin on such subjects. I'm very glad you've
opened it. Now, why don't you?"

"I've never been confirmed," said East.

"Not been confirmed!" said Tom in astonishment. "I never thought of
that. Why weren't you confirmed with the rest of us nearly three years
ago? I always thought you'd been confirmed at home."

"No," answered East sorrowfully; "you see this was how it happened. Last
Confirmation was soon after Arthur came, and you were so taken up with
him, I hardly saw either of you. Well, when the Doctor sent round for us
about it, I was living mostly with Green's set--you know the sort. They
all went in--I dare say it was all right, and they got good by it; I
don't want to judge them. Only all I could see of their reasons drove me
just the other way. 'Twas 'because the Doctor liked it;' 'no boy got on
who didn't