t imagination, interfered.

"Nestie," he said, "ye're an abandoned little scoundrel, and ye're
telling lees straicht forward," and the school went into the class-room
divided in opinion. Some were suspicious that Nestie had been feeding
their curiosity with highly spiced meat, but others were inclined to
believe anything of Bulldog's household arrangements. During the hour
Speug studied Nestie's countenance with interest, and in the break he
laid hold of that ingenious young gentleman by the ear and led him apart
into a quiet corner, where he exhorted him to unbosom the truth. Nestie
whispered something in Speug's ear which shook even that worthy's
composure.

"Did ye say rabbits?"

"Lop-ears," said Nestie after a moment's silence, and Speug was more
confounded than he had ever been in all his blameless life.

"Ernest Molyneux, div ye kin whar ye 'ill go to if ye tell lees."

"I'm telling the t-truth, Speug, and I never tell lies, but sometimes I
compose t-tales. Lop-ear rabbits, and he feeds them himself."

"Will ye say 'as sure as death'?"--for this was with us the final test
of truth.

"As sure as death," said Nestie, and that afternoon Speug had so much to
think about that he gave almost no heed when Bulldog discovered him with
nothing on the sheet before him except a remarkably correct drawing of
two lop-eared rabbits.

Speug and Nestie crossed the North Meadow together after school, and
before they parted at the bridge Nestie entreated the favour of a visit
in his new home that evening from Speug; but, although modesty was not
Speug's prevailing characteristic, he would on no account accept the
flattering invitation. Maybe he was going to drive with his father, who
was breaking-in a new horse, or maybe he was going out on the river in a
boat, or maybe the stable gates were to be shut and the fox turned loose
for a run, or maybe----

[Illustration: "NESTIE WHISPERED SOMETHING IN SPEUG'S EAR."]

"Maybe you are going to learn your l-lessons, Speug, for once in your
life," said Nestie, who, his head on one side, was studying Speug's
embarrassment.

"A'm to do naething o' the kind," retorted Speug, turning a dark red at
this insult. "Nane o' yir impidence."

"Maybe you're f-frightened to come," said Nestie, and dodged at the same
time behind a lamp-post. "Why, Speug, I didn't know you were
f-frightened of anything."

"Naither I am," said Speug stoutly; "an' if it had been Jock Howieson
said that, I'd b