hout leave," said Mr. Squeers mildly, "and I'll take
the skin off his back."

This special proclamation had the desired effect, and a death-like silence
immediately prevailed, in the midst of which Mr. Squeers went on to say:

"Boys, I've been to London, and have returned as strong and well as ever."

According to half-yearly custom, the boys gave three feeble cheers at this
refreshing intelligence. Such cheers! Sighs of extra strength with the
chill on.

Squeers then proceeded to give several messages of various degrees of
unpleasantness to sundry of the boys, followed up by vigorous canings
where he had any grudge to pay off. One by one the boys answered to their
names.

"Now let us see," said Squeers. "A letter for Cobbey. Stand up, Cobbey."

Another boy stood up and eyed the letter very hard, while Squeers made a
mental abstract of the same.

"Oh," said Squeers; "Cobbey's grandmother is dead, which is all the news
his sister sends, except eighteenpence, which will just pay for that
broken square of glass. Mrs. Squeers, my dear, will you take the money?"

The worthy lady pocketed the eighteenpence with a most business-like air,
and Squeers passed on to the next boy, as coolly as possible.

"Mobbs's step-mother," said Squeers, "took to her bed on hearing that he
wouldn't eat fat, and has been very ill ever since. She wishes to know, by
an early post, where he expects to go to if he quarrels with his vittles;
and with what feelings he could turn up his nose at the cow's liver broth,
after his good master had asked a blessing on it. This was told her in the
London newspapers--not by Mr. Squeers, for he is too kind and good to set
anybody against anybody--and it has vexed her so much, Mobbs can't think.
She is sorry to find he is discontented, which is sinful and horrid, and
hopes Mr. Squeers will flog him into a happier state of mind; and with
this view, she has also stopped his halfpenny a week pocket-money, and
given a double-bladed knife with a corkscrew in it to the Missionaries,
which she had bought on purpose for him."

[Illustration: BOLDER, COBBEY, GRAYMARSH, MOBB'S.]

"A sulky state of feeling," said Squeers, after a terrible pause.
"Cheerfulness and contentment must be kept up. Mobbs, come to me."

Mobbs moved slowly towards the desk, rubbing his eyes in anticipation of
good cause for doing so; and he soon afterwards retired by the side door,
with as good a cause as a boy need have.

Mr. Squeers