his exercises alone. Nor were his
eccentricities always confined to his English themes; his Latin verses
were occasionally no less extraordinary, and in one set, on the suicide
of Ajax, the last few lines consisted of fragmentary words interspersed
here and there with numerous stars--a phenomenon which he explained to
Mr Percival in the gravest manner possible, by saying that here the
voice of Ajax was interrupted by sobs!

Happy in his work, Walter was no less happy in his play. The glorious
mid-day bathes on the hard sparkling yellow sands when the sea was
smooth as the blue of heaven, and clear as transparent glass--the long
afternoons on the green and sunny cricket field--the strolls over the
mountains, and lazy readings under a tree in the fragrant fir-groves--
all invigorated him, and gave to his face the health, and to his heart
the mirth, which told of an innocent life and a vigorous frame.

But it must not be supposed that he escaped troubles of his own, and his
first trouble rose out of the kind boyish protectorate which he had
established over little Eden's interests.

His rescue of Eden from the clutches of a bad lot was one of Walter's
proudest and gladdest reminiscences. Instead of moping about miserable
and lonely, and rapidly developing into a rank harvest the evil seeds
which his tormentors had tried to plant in his young heart, Eden was now
the gayest of the gay. Secure from most annoyances by possessing the
refuge of Power's study, and the certainty of Walter's help, he soon
began to assert his own position among all the boys of his own age and
standing. No longer crushed and intimidated by bullying and bad
companions, he was lively, happy, and universally liked, but never
happier than when Walter and Power admitted him, as they constantly did,
into their own society.

Harpour and Jones, in their hatred against Walter, had an especial
reason to keep Eden as far as they could under subjection, in addition
to their general propensity to bully and domineer. They did not care to
torment him when Walter was present, because with him, in spite of their
hostility, they felt it wise to maintain an armed neutrality. But
whenever Walter was absent, they felt themselves safe. None of the
other boys in their dormitory interfered except Henderson, and his
interposition, though always generous, was both morally and physically
weaker than Walter's. He would not, indeed, allow any positive cruelty,
but h