any boys, except his own
brothers.

"I'll tell you how it is," he continued; "my father says we should do
everything on principle. He has made us practise all sorts of athletic
exercises, and shown us how we can make the best use of our muscles and
bones. The balls of the foot and toes are given us, for instance, as
pads from which we may spring, and on which we may alight, but clumsy
fellows will attempt to leap from their heels or jump down on them;
however, I'll tell you what I know about the matter another time. He
has us taught to row and swim, and climb and ride. He says that they
are essential accomplishments for people who have to knock about the
world, as all of us will have to do. He has always told us that we must
labour before we can be fed; it is the lot of humanity. If we by any
chance neglected to do what he ordered, we had to go without our dinner
or breakfast, as the case might be; so you see we have learned to depend
a good deal upon ourselves, and to feel that if we do not try our best
to get on, no one else will help us."

"Oh, yes! I understand now why you are so different to most new boys,"
answered Buttar. "Well, your father is a sensible man, there's no doubt
of it. I got on pretty well when I first came, much from the same
reason. My mother never let us have our own way, always gave us plenty
to do, and taught us to take care of ourselves without our nurses
continually running after us. Now I have seen big fellows come here,
who cried if they were hit, were always eating cakes and sweet things,
and sung out when they went to bed for the maid-servant to put on their
night-caps; these sort of fellows are seldom worth much, either in
school or out of it. They fudge their lessons and shirk their work at
play; regular do-nothing Molly Milksops, I call them."

And the two boys laughed heartily at the picture Buttar had so well
drawn.

Off each room was a washing-place, well supplied with running water, and
a bath for those boys who could not bathe in the pond. Ernest's bed was
pointed out to him. Approaching it, he knelt down, and while most of
the boys were washing, said his prayers. Only one boy in a shrill voice
cried out in the middle of them, Amen. When Ernest rose up he looked
round to try and discover who had used the expression. All were silent,
and pretended to be busily employed in getting into bed; two or three
were chuckling as if something witty had been said.

"I