observers went down to recreation. This
continued for a day, when, as might be expected,
the gallant North went and gave himself up
unconditionally, and his co–conspirators went
and did likewise. It was their only course,
as the public was murmuring loudly. For
North, I am happy to say it ended well. The
authorities were touched by his spirit, great
interest was made on all sides, and he and his
men were let off with a trifling punishment.

iv. THE LOGICIANS' "DO."

During the summer days, there was a general
winding up, with examinations for prizes and
distributions of rewards. Among the rewards
was a delightful institution known as The Good
Days, holidays for good behaviour, enhanced,
as it seemed to us, by every joy and attraction
that mortal boy could desire. An additional
whet to their enjoyment was got out of the long
faces of our brethren bent over their books, as
towards seven A.M. of a glorious morning we
trooped past them to go out and get an appetite
for breakfast. This was acquired in the Dutch
gardens, thrown open to us on the Good Days;
and we then did justice to the admirable muffins,
tea, coffee, and broiled matters provided for
us by the Masters of Good Days, who knew
their way to boys' hearts. The pleasure we had
in this meal, too, was enhanced by knowing that
our unparticipating friends were being regaled
with plain bread and warm milk, out of good
crockery bowls.

The entertainment of the day was in fishing
the great river with large nets, and the special
fun lay in going up to one's middle in the
water and getting as generally wet as possible.
Yet there was in this thorough enjoyment.
Then came dinner, furnished with all the
luxuries of the place; and wine—yes, wine—a very
little of which, it was noticed, affected the heads
of the juniors. Again comes up the picture of the
evening wanderings among the soft beauties of
our park, among its glades, and banks, and
pleasant places; the whole concluding with another
sort of fishing, which had its own attractions.
There were little silvery brooks that coursed down
from many hills, and wound and straggled in all
directions, very strong and clear, and made a sort
of jingling metallic music everywhere. They were
Nature's musical–boxes, and we might slip over
them in places, or cross by little wooden bridges.
The water was the clearest and most delicious
of waters, and they were stocked with fish
reputed of delicious savour. Some one comes
with a little bag net and stops the way with it;
and then our whole riotous party strip off shoes
and stockings, tuck up trousers, and, armed with
strong sticks, at a given signal begin some two
hundred yards above the net. The silvery little
trout just thinking of bedtime, in the snug
earthy corners under the banks, must have
thought the end of their world had come, for
never was there such a routing and poking
and shouting and upturning of every stone and
nature generally. The procession made its way
slowly down to the bag net, bringing convulsion
with it, and when the work was done, paused
to see the result. The little trout had fled for
their lives, and were found huddled in abundance
in the fatal net, whence they were transported
to the great kitchen and promptly fried
for supper, with all the appliances of modern art.

During those jocund tunes, those of our Logicians
whose last year of residence it was, and
whose last month it was, were treated with a kindly
indulgence. Moderate infractions of discipline
were overlooked or gently reproved. Towards
each other they had more than common friendly
bearing, for they had all made the long scholastic
journey for some seven years, and knew each
other well. They were now to disperse. My own
recollections of that last month are very pleasant .
Our paths were made smooth indeed. We
had a master stern and severe on duty, almost
Spartan in his discipline, dark and Velasquez–
looking, and whose eye made us uncomfortable.
Yet, though his hand was iron, we liked
him. I did cordially, though at times he leaned
on me pretty hardly, for I knew he did not spare
himself. And a trait that I heard of him added
to this respect. He had been teaching a huge
school of a thousand or so poor children, in a
great manufacturing town, and a friend had
noticed with surprise that he was keeping very
late vigils, sitting up till all hours. He went in
one night, and found him practising round–hand
in a copy–book, to improve the naturally vile
hand he wrote, and to teach the children better.
And this was an accomplished scholar. Out of
school–time he had a light humour and bonhomie
which we all enjoyed.

A special and privileged festival for departing
Logicians was what was called, in the school
patois, their "Do." We had been specially
steady this year, and at one season of disaffection
had rallied round the throne and constitution,
and had stood firm when all about us were
tainted with disloyalty. On these grounds it
was determined to compliment us with a "Do"
of more than usual magnificence. It was about
a week before we departed. In order to respond
to and co–operate with so much liberality, we
had determined to raise moneys among ourselves,
so as to make the festival yet more magnificent,
and, with this view, we had been assessing
ourselves for weeks past, in a rate of some shillings.
The result was a handsome sum on the morning
of the festival.

The previous night had been the scene of a
revel. The enjoyment was a little marred—
though perhaps it lent, a piquancy and awful
mystery—by a painful fracas that occurred
during the revel. One of our Logicians was a
large, heavily–built fellow, whose prowess at
football was the object of envy and secret
admiration, but whose intellectual acquirements did
not at all keep pace. Between him and our
master much unpleasantness used to arise
periodically on this score. Latterly Big
Hoskins—for so he was familiarly known—
had become aggrieved. He was heard going
about saying that "old Franklin." had a grudge
against him, that it was monstrous and unfair
"being down on a fellow always," and that
he meant to be even with old Franklin