nearest to the house, tumbling in my course
over some boots, and knocking over the large
school-bell.

Like the gentleman in Beauty and the Beast,
I saw a light ahead, and on making towards
it, found it came from the kitchen door.
Looking in thereat, I saw the servants sitting
round a comfortable fire, and tapped the door
with my fingers, when the servant whom I
had first seen advanced towards me. She was
in command. I asked for a light, whereupon
she gave me a withering look, and said that
if I wanted one I knew where to get it, and
must fetch it myself. One of the other servants
immediately rose, and was kind enough to take
me up the kitchen stairs to a slab, where there
were some very greasy tin candlesticks, without
snuffers or extinguishers. I was then told that
it was time for me to go to rest.

I had not been in my room five minutes
before a tap came at my door, and, on opening
it, I found two of the servants standing
there, who immediately put up their fingers,
and said "Hush!" They had come to tell me
never to mind "Smith." That she was licensed
and encouraged by the master and mistress to
offend and insult every one, and that when I
wanted anything done, the other servants would
be happy to do it for me. They also asked if
I had been in a "situation" before.

When I laid down to rest, I felt that I had
something whereon to reflect. I had been at
school as a boy myself—at a public school.
There was not a master there to whom a
servant would have dared to be uncivil, much less
would it have occurred to any servant to come to
him in a clandestine manner at his bedroom door.

I began to think that as they were masters,
therefore I could not be a master. "What was
I? Was I an "usher?"

Next day, I felt that it was only due to
myself to mention to the doctor the rudeness of
his servant. He didn't seem astonished, but
smiled, and said that he could quite understand
my feelings. He added, that the servant was
only pointing out to me my duty. He then
smiled again, and walked away, putting an end
to further remonstrance.

The doctor, after dinner, explained to my
colleague (whom I discovered to be also a new
comer) and myself that we were to take "duty"
alternately. Duty implied the supervision of
the young gentlemen out of school. It
consisted in getting up in the morning at half-past
six, working for an hour and a half before
breakfast, and never losing sight of the young
gentlemen all day until they were in their beds.

I happened to notice at tea that the doctor
watched me when I took butter, and then
looked round at his wife with an injured
expression. From that moment he was an altered
man to me.

The system of the school was rather subversive
in its practice. The boys could do everything
they liked; the masters nothing. I tried
to introduce discipline and obedience, but was
very soon remonstrated with by my superior, who
said that the pupils would all be taken away if
not indulged. Here was a prospect! Order
had to be kept and a control maintained over
young gentlemen who would be taken away if
order and control were enforced.

One day while "on duty," I happened to
dirty my hands with the football, and so
requested Mr. Forfar to come out and look after
the young gentlemen for a few minutes. I was
not long absent, but when I returned I was
accosted by Dr. Clackmannan, who came close
up to me, and looked straight in my face, as
though he were going to box my ears.
Fortunately he did not do so, but said, in a loud
voice, "Look here, sir, let it be distinctly understood
that when I pay gentlemen for their
services, I expect them to do their work."

When we met the next day, his manner was
decidedly cordial, and he went so far as to
make a remark about the weather. I fancied
that perhaps he felt some slight pangs of remorse
racking his bosom; but was soon undeceived.
When we sat down to breakfast, I perceived
that poor Mr. Forfar had been going wrong,
even though it were "so early in the morning."
The poor little man had neglected something
which should be done at that early hour.
Consequently Mr. Forfar appeared so bad a sinner
upon this occasion, that I became a saint by
contrast, and was consequently in possession of
the great man's high esteem.

The doctor's time for settling matters was,
generally speaking, at meals, and we had not
been seated long, when he began on his new
grievance, looking round repeatedly at his little
wife for her approval.

"I beg to point this out to you, Mr. Forfar,"
said he. "You've not been in my house long,
and if you're not more careful you won't be. I
see that you're inclined to shirk your work, but
I'll make short work of you, I can tell you."

Poor Mr. Forfar! He fixed one eye on the
mustard-pot, while the other took a cruise
round the table, and finally settled on the salt-
cellar. He spoke not, but was the very picture
of a squinting penitent. After breakfast the
doctor caught me, and took me for a stroll
round his garden. He was remarkably friendly
and confidential.

"I find I've been nicely taken in with that
gentleman," he observed; "but if he tries any
of his tricks with me, I'll kick him out of my
house summarily."

A couple of hours after this, I had occasion
to find fault with a young gentleman whom no
means of persuasion would induce to attend to
what was going on. I called him up, looked
severely in his face, and addressed to him a few
words of admonition. This mode of proceeding
caused the young imp to burst forth in a
torrent of grief. Dr. Clackmannan, disturbed by
the unusual sounds, looked up and called across
the schoolroom that I was "not to do that
again." He came to me afterwards in an apologetic
manner, but I said that he injured himself,
not me, by such displays. He thereupon
informed me that if the boy were removed from