g it the ink had disappeared, and the
bowl was seen to be full of clear water, with gold and silver fish
swimming about in it.

"One exhibition more," he remarked; "and, ladies, wind up your nerves
for a dreadful catastrophe. Here is a pistol, powder, and bullets.
Examine them. Will any one load the pistol? See that the powder is
genuine." It was done. The magician took the pistol, and put in some
wadding. Then Placolett took it back, and some gentleman having marked
three bullets, put them in one after the other. More wadding was then
put in, and rammed down. "Who will fire?" asked the magician, holding
up a plate at arm's length. Scarcely had the smoke cleared away when
the magician handed the plate with the three marked bullets rolling
about in it.

Everybody was expressing surprise at the interesting performance they
had witnessed, and wondering where the magician had come from, when he
and Placolett, with many bows, retired behind the curtain. Directly
afterwards it was opened, and who should appear but Ernest and Tom
Bouldon, while the magician and his attendant had disappeared.

Even Christmas holidays must have an end. The guests went back to their
respective homes, all declaring that they had never enjoyed themselves
so much as they had on this occasion since they first went to school.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

RETURN TO SCHOOL--A GRAND GAME AT FOOTBALL.

"Here we all are again," exclaimed Tom Bouldon, as he shook Ernest, and
Buttar, and Ellis, and his other friends by the hand, as they first met
at school after those memorable Christmas holidays. Of course they had
a great deal to talk about; the fun they had had at Oaklands, and what
they had all done afterwards; then they had to discuss the changes in
the school; the qualities of the new boys who had arrived, and what had
become of the old ones who had gone away.

Barber had got back, and was as conceited as ever, and as supercilious
towards his old school-fellow Ellis, who still seemed always strangely
cowed in his presence. In many respects Barber, unhappily, bade fair to
rival Blackall. He was not so great a bully, but then he had not the
power of being so, as he was not so strong, and not so high up in the
school. However, he seemed fully inclined to exercise his bullying
propensities towards poor Ellis, and though he did not strike him, he
never lost an opportunity of attacking him with the words which wound
far more than sharp kniv