oped that Hugh would excuse him altogether.
He explained that this sixpence was not all, nor the chief part. He told
that, when the whole school was on the heath, one Saturday, they had
seen a balloon rising at a distance, and some boys began betting about
what direction it would move in when it ceased to rise perpendicularly.
The betting spread till the boys told him he must bet, or he would be
the only one left out, and would look like a shabby fellow.

"And you did?" exclaimed Hugh. "How silly!"

"You would have done it, if you had been there."

"No: I should not."

"Yes, you would. Or, if you had not, it would have been because of----I
know what."

"Because of what, pray?"

"Because of something the boys say about you. They say you are very fond
of money."

"I! fond of money! I declare I never heard of such a thing."

"Well, you know you made a great fuss about that half-crown."

"As if it was about the money!" cried Hugh. "I should not have cared a
bit if my uncle had asked me for it back again the next day. It was the
being cheated. That was the thing. What a shame----"

"By-the-bye, did your uncle ever ask what you did with that half-crown?"

"No; but he will next week, at the January fair. He will be sure to ask
then. What a shame of the boys to say so, when I forgave----"

He remembered, just in time, that he had better not boast, or speak
aloud, of having forgiven Lamb his debt in secret. He resolved that he
would not say another word, but let the boys see that he did not care
for money for its own sake. They were all wrong, but he would be above
noticing it; and, besides, he really had been very anxious about his
half-crown, and they had only mistaken the reason.

"How much did you bet on the balloon?" he inquired of Holt.

"A shilling; and I lost."

"Then you owe eighteen-pence."

"But that is not all. I borrowed a shilling of Meredith to pay
school-fines----"

"What for?"

"Chiefly for leaving my books about. Meredith says I promised to pay him
before the holidays; but I am sure I never did. He twitted me about it
so that I declare I would have fought him, if I could have paid him
first."

"That's right," exclaimed Hugh. "Why, Holt, what a different fellow you
are! You never used to talk of fighting."

"But this fellow Meredith plagued me so! If it had not been for that
shilling, I would have knocked him down. Well, here is half-a-crown
altogether; and how am I ever to get half-a-c