hom the others followed.

"That must be Tom Walker, the one who makes all the trouble, and whom
Mr. Bills and Mrs. Biggs think I can't manage," Eloise said, with a
little gasp, such as she always felt when she thought of Tom, who, Tim
had reported, was boasting of what he meant to do with the lame
schoolmarm when she came.

Jack detected the trouble in her voice, and asked who Tom Walker was. It
did not take long for Eloise to tell all she knew, while Jack listened
thoughtfully, resolving to seek out Tom, and by thrashing, or
threatening, or hiring, turn him from any plan he might have against
this little girl, who seemed to him far too young and dainty to be
thrown upon the mercy of the rabble he had seen by the school-house with
Tom Walker at their head.

"Don't worry about Tom. Big bullies like him are always cowards. You'll
get along all right," he said encouragingly, with a growing desire to
take the helpless girl in his arms and carry her away from Tom Walker
and Mr. Bills and Mrs. Biggs, and the whole of her surroundings, which
she did not seem at all to fit.

He wanted to entertain her, and told her of an excursion on the water he
had taken the previous day with Howard Crompton,--the last of the
season, he said, and very enjoyable. He wished she had been there. Then
he spoke of the Colonel, laughing at his peculiarities, and asking if
she had ever heard of the Crompton "Formula." She said she had from Ruby
Ann, and was glad she was not to be subjected to questioning on it, as
she knew she should fail in everything except the four _rights_. She
might manage them, but it was not necessary for her to be examined by
anybody, since her normal school diploma was a license to teach anywhere
in the State.

"Hanged if I think I could manage the _rights_!" Jack said. "Spelling is
not my forte, and Howard, who is great at it, missed the last one."

"How is Mr. Howard?" Eloise asked, and Jack replied, "All right. Has
gone to church like a good Christian. I ought to have gone, but I
thought I'd come here, as you might be lonely here alone."

It flashed through Eloise's mind to wonder how he knew she was alone,
but she made no comment, except to say that the rector, Mr. Arthur
Mason, called upon her the day before.

"Did he?" Jack said. "I believe he is a fine fellow. Howard likes him,
but for some reason the Colonel does not, and when Howard said he was
going to church, and suggested bringing Mr. Mason home to lunch