Tom Walker
again, in which case he meant to interview him. Nor was he disappointed,
for sauntering in the same direction and chewing gum, with his cap on
the back of his head and his hands in his pockets, was a tall, wiry
fellow, whom Jack instantly spotted as Tom Walker, the bully, who was to
terrorize Eloise.

"Now is my time," Jack thought, hastening his steps and soon overtaking
the boy, who, never caring whether he was late or early at school, was
taking his time, and stopping occasionally to throw a stone at some bird
on the fence or a tree. "Hallo, Tom!" Jack said in his cheery way as he
came up with the boy, whose ungracious answer was, "How do you know my
name is Tom?"

At heart Tom was something of an anarchist, jealous of and disliking
people higher in the social scale than he was, and this dislike extended
particularly to the young gentlemen from the Crompton House, who had
nothing to do but to enjoy themselves. He did not like to be patronized,
but there was something in Jack's voice which made him accompany his
speech with a laugh, which robbed it of some of its rudeness.

"Oh, I know you, just as, I dare say, you know me, Jack Harcourt, from
New York, visiting at present at the Crompton House," was Jack's reply,
which mollified Tom at once.

If Jack had called himself Mr. Harcourt Tom would have resented it as
airs. But he didn't; he said _Jack_, putting himself on a par with the
boy, who took the gum from his mouth for a moment, looked at it,
replaced it, and began to answer Jack's questions, which at first were
very far from Eloise. But they struck her at last as they drew near the
school-house.

"I'm late, as usual," Tom said, rolling his gum from side to side in his
mouth. "I presume I'll catch thunder, but I don't care. I'm not afraid
of any schoolmarm I've ever seen, and I mean to carry the new one out on
a couple of chips if she tries to boss me."

There was a look on Tom's face which Jack did not like, but he said
pleasantly, "No, you won't, when you see how helpless she is, and how
she needs a young gentleman like you to stand by her."

"I ain't a gentleman," Tom answered, but his voice was a good deal
softened. "I'm just Tom Walker, who they lay everything to, and who the
boys expect to do all their dirty work for them."

"I see," Jack answered; "you pick off the hot chestnuts. _I_ used to do
that when a little shaver, till I got my fingers blistered so badly I
decided to let some one