ularity. But dissembling fails sometimes outside the
copy-books, and Mr. Bultitude's rather blundering attempt at it only
landed him in worse difficulties.

There was a yell of rage and disappointment from the defrauded ones, who
had cherished a lingering hope that young Bultitude had those rabbits
somewhere, but (like Mr. Barkis and his wooden lemon) found himself
unable to part with them when the time came to fulfil his contract. And
as contempt is a frame of mind highly stimulating to one's self-esteem,
even those who had no personal interest in the matter joined in the
execrations with hearty goodwill and sympathy.

"Why did you let him do it? They were ours, not his. What right had your
governor to go and drown our rabbits, eh?" they cried wrathfully.

"What right?" said Paul. "Mustn't a man do as he pleases in his own
house, then? I--he was not obliged to see the house overrun with vermin,
I suppose?"

But this only made them angrier, and they resented his defence with
hoots, and groans, and hisses.

Mr. Blinkhorn meanwhile was pondering the affair conscientiously. At
last he said, "But you know the Doctor would never allow animals to be
kept in the school, if Bultitude had brought them. The whole thing is
against the rules, and I shall not interfere."

"Ah, but," said Chawner, "he promised them all to day-boarders. The
Doctor couldn't object to that, could he, sir?"

"True," said Mr. Blinkhorn, "true. I was not aware of that. Well then,
Bultitude, since you are prevented from performing what you promised to
do, I'm sure you won't object to do what is fair and right in the
matter?"

"I don't think I quite follow you," said Mr. Bultitude. But he dreaded
what was coming next.

"It's very simple. You have taken money from these boys, and if you
can't give them value for it, you ought to return all you took from
them. I'm sure you see that yourself."

"I don't admit that I owe them anything," said Paul; "and at all events
it is highly inconvenient to pay them now."

"If your own sense of honour isn't enough," said Mr. Blinkhorn, "I must
take the matter into my own hands. Let every boy who has any claim upon
him tell me exactly what it is."

One boy after another brought forward his claim. One had entrusted Dick,
it appeared, with a shilling, for which he was to receive a mouse with a
"plum saddle," and two others had invested ninepence each in white mice.
With Porter's half-crown, the total came to prec