e days grew much shorter. So Hugh
thought he had got off very well thus far. In the afternoon, however,
Mrs. Watson, who invited him and Holt into her parlour, to look over the
pictures in her great Bible, was rather surprised to find how little
Hugh could tell her of the sermon, considering how much he had
remembered the Sunday before. She had certainly thought that to-day's
sermon had been the simpler, and the more interesting to young people,
of the two. Her conversation with Hugh did him good, however. It
reminded him of his mother's words, and of her expectations from him;
and it made him resolve to bear, not only his loss, but any blame which
might come upon him silently, and without betraying anybody. He had
already determined, fifty times within the twenty-four hours, never to
be so weakly led again, when his own mind was doubtful, as he had felt
it all the time from leaving the heath to getting back to it again. He
began to reckon on the Christmas holidays, when he should have five
weeks at home, free from the evils of both places,--from lessons with
Miss Harold, and from Crofton scrapes.

It is probable that the whole affair would have passed over quietly, and
the woman in the lane might have made large profits by other
inexperienced boys, and Mr. Carnaby might have gone on being careless as
to where the boys went out of his sight on Saturdays, but that Tom Holt
ate too many plums on the present occasion. On Sunday morning he was not
well; and was so ill by the evening, and all Monday, that he had to be
regularly nursed; and when he left his bed, he was taken to Mrs.
Watson's parlour,--the comfortable, quiet place where invalid boys
enjoyed themselves. Poor Holt was in very low spirits; and Mrs. Watson
was so kind that he could not help telling her that he owed a shilling,
and he did not know how he should ever pay it; and that Hugh Proctor,
who had been his friend till now, seemed on a sudden much more fond of
Dale; and this made it harder to be in debt to him.

The wet, smeared lining of the pockets had told Mrs. Watson already that
there had been some improper indulgence in good things; and when she
heard what part Lamb had played towards the little boys, she thought it
right to tell Mr. Tooke. Mr. Tooke said nothing till Holt was in the
school again, which was on Thursday; and not then till the little boys
had said their lessons, at past eleven o'clock. They were drawing on
their slates, and Lamb was stil