its title-page open for M. Bonzig to
read.

"Are you dumb, Josselin? Can't you speak?"

Josselin tried to speak, but uttered no sound.

"Josselin, come here--opposite me."

Josselin came and stood opposite M. Bonzig and made a nice little
bow.

"What have you got in your mouth,
Josselin--chocolate?--barley-sugar?--caoutchouc?--or an India-rubber
ball?"

Josselin shrugged his shoulders and looked pensive, but spoke never
a word.

"Open quick the mouth, Josselin!"

And Monsieur Bonzig, leaning over the table, deftly put his thumb
and forefinger between the boy's lips, and drew forth slowly a large
white pocket-handkerchief, which seemed never to end, and threw it
on the floor with solemn dignity.

The whole school-room was convulsed with laughter.

"Josselin--leave the room--you will be severely punished, as you
deserve--you are a vulgar buffoon--a jo-crisse--a paltoquet, a
mountebank! Go, petit polisson--go!"

The polisson picked up his pocket-handkerchief and went--quite
quietly, with simple manly grace; and that's the first I ever saw of
Barty Josselin--and it was some fifty years ago.

* * * * *

At 3.30 the bell sounded for the half-hour's recreation, and the
boys came out to play.

Josselin was sitting alone on a bench, thoughtful, with his hand in
the inner breast pocket of his Eton jacket.

M. Bonzig went straight to him, buttoned up and severe--his eyes
dancing, and glancing from right to left through his spectacles; and
Josselin stood up very politely.

"Sit down!" said M. Bonzig; and sat beside him, and talked to him
with grim austerity for ten minutes or more, and the boy seemed very
penitent and sorry.

Presently he drew forth from his pocket his white mouse, and showed
it to the long usher, who looked at it with great seeming interest
for a long time, and finally took it into the palm of his own
hand--where it stood on its hind legs--and stroked it with his
little finger.

Soon Josselin produced a small box of chocolate drops, which he
opened and offered to M. Bonzig, who took one and put it in his
mouth, and seemed to like it. Then they got up and walked to and fro
together, and the usher put his arm round the boy's shoulder, and
there was peace and good-will between them; and before they parted
Josselin had intrusted his white mouse to "le grand Bonzig"--who
intrusted it to Mlle. Marceline, the head lingere, a very kind and
handsome person, who fou