been punished enough," he said to the little boys. "Mr.
Carnaby, have the goodness to remain a moment."

And the large room was speedily emptied of all but the master, the
usher, and poor Lamb.

"The usher will catch it now," observed some boys, as the master himself
shut the door behind them. "He will get well paid for his spite."

"What will be done to him?" asked Hugh of Dale, whom he loved fervently
for having saved him from punishment.

"Oh, I don't know; and I don't care--though he was just going to give my
head some sound raps against the wall, if Mr. Tooke had not come up at
the moment."

"But what _will_ be done to Mr. Carnaby?"

"Never mind what; he wont be here long, they say. Fisher says there is
another coming; and Carnaby is here only till that other is at liberty."

This was good news, if true: and Hugh ran off, quite in spirits, to
play. He had set himself diligently to learn to play, and would not be
driven off; and Dale had insisted on fair scope for him. He played too
well to be objected to any more. They now went to leap-frog; and when
too hot to keep it up any longer, he and Dale mounted into the
apple-tree to talk, while they were cooling, and expecting the
dinner-bell.

Something happened very wonderful before dinner. The gardener went down
to the main road, and seemed to be looking out. At last he hailed the
London coach. Hugh and Dale could see from their perch. The coach
stopped, the gardener ran back, met Mr. Carnaby under the chesnuts,
relieved him of his portmanteau, and helped him to mount the coach.

"Is he going? Gone for good?" passed from mouth to mouth, all over the
playground.

"Gone for good," was the answer of those who knew to a certainty.

The boys set up first a groan, so loud that perhaps the departing usher
heard it. Then they gave a shout of joy, in which the little boys joined
with all their might--Hugh waving his cap in the apple-tree.

CHAPTER VII.

WHAT IS ONLY TO BE HAD AT HOME.

Hugh got on far better with his lessons as he grew more intimate with
Dale. It was not so much that Dale helped him with his grammar and
construing (for Dale thought every boy should make shift to do his own
business) as that he liked to talk about his work, even with a younger
boy; and so, as he said, clear his head. A great deal that he said was
above Hugh's comprehension; and much of his repetitions mere words: but
there were other matters which fixed Hugh's attention