--meanin' no ungratefulness to you, boys--I've faith
to b'lieve it; for it's not good manners, neither good deeds, to make
out that way, an' take folks in. An' them's my opinions, an' I'll stan'
by 'em!"

The last thing the boys heard, as the door of his temporary home closed
upon him, was, "No more theayters for me; they're clean agin'
Scriptur."

This, of course, was great fun for our frolicsome Norman, always ready
for a joke or a good story; and although Douglas had not taken
unalloyed pleasure in the events of the evening, he, too, could see the
droll side of them now that they were over. They were rehearsed with
great glee at the breakfast-table the next morning; and it occurred to
me that here, if he chose to use it, was the opportunity for Jim to
revenge himself for some of the sneers cast upon him by Theodore Yorke.
I was wicked enough, however, not to suggest the idea to any one else,
lest a word of warning or counsel should restrain him; and in the
sequel Jim proved himself far the better Christian of the two, in spite
of the superior advantages which had always been mine.

This happened to be Friday, when he brought home from school his weekly
report, which he always took at once to Milly. The record for this week
proved an unusually favorable one; but he had more to add to this.

"Miss Milly," he said, after she had expressed her pleasure at the
progress he was making and at his standing in "conduct,"--"Miss Milly,
I was real forgivin' an' like livin' up to the mark you sot us for
doin' unto others, in school to-day. But it does come awful hard, when
you get the chance to pay off a feller, to let it slip; an' I don't
know as I could have done it if it hadn't been for thinkin' of the old
captain himself, an' how good he'd been to me, an' that I wouldn't like
to go back on _him_."

Light flashed upon Milly. The boy had been tempted to make use of the
occurrences of the preceding evening to revenge himself upon Theodore
Yorke for his previous slights and insults; and had refrained, chiefly
from loyalty to his old friend, it is true, but, perhaps, partly
prompted by the wish to do right.

It had so happened, that two boys in the class had been at the theatre
also, and had been witnesses of the captain's antics, but without
knowing who he was, or of his connection with Theodore. In recess they
told the story, doubtless with more or less of exaggeration, of the old
countryman who had made himself so conspi