r, a shuffling of feet, and Regie Selwyn,
with cheeks aflame, rose slowly in his seat, and said in a low but
distinct voice:

"I have, sir."

A gleam of joy flashed in the doctor's dark eyes as he looked toward the
speaker, but he said nothing. Then another and another rose and made a
like confession, until some six in all had thus acknowledged their
fault. There was no mistaking the pleasure that shone in the master's
face at this answer to his appeal. When it became clear that, however
many more might be no less guilty, no more were going to confess it, he
spoke again:

"While it grieves me to know that the use of translations has been so
extensive, I am also glad to find that so many of my boys possess the
true spirit of manliness. I ask them to promise me that they will never
look at those books again, and if there be others in the school who
might have admitted the same impropriety, but have not, I appeal to you
to show by your contempt of such helps your determination that nothing
but what is honest, fair, and manly shall characterise the actions of
the scholars of this school."

And with this the doctor resumed his seat.

CHAPTER XXVII.

ABOUT LITERATURE AND LAW.

Five years had passed since Cuthbert Lloyd's name was first inscribed in
the big register on Dr. Johnston's desk, and he had been surely,
steadily rising to the proud position of being the first boy in the
school, the "_dux_," as the doctor with his love for the classics
preferred to call it.

And yet there were some branches of study that he still seemed unable to
get a good hold upon, or make satisfactory progress with. One of these
was algebra. For some reason or other, the hidden principles of this
puzzling science eluded his grasp, as though a and x had been eels of
phenomenal activity. He tried again and again to pierce the obscurity
that enshrouded them, but at best with imperfect success; and it was a
striking fact that he should, term after term, carry off the arithmetic
prize by splendid scores, and yet be ingloriously beaten at algebra.

Another subject that became a great bugbear to him was what was known as
composition. On Fridays the senior boys were required to bring an
original composition, covering at least two pages of letter paper, upon
any subject they saw fit. This requirement made that day "black Friday"
for Bert and many others besides. The writing of a letter or composition
is probably the hardest task that ca