They had each an
umbrella, large and bulgy, and altogether were a pair of objects to whom
no one would have lent a shilling. Cosh, whose attack on Nestie made him
a social outcast, had declared himself a convert to natural science, and
was sucking up to Byles, and two harmless little chaps, who thought that
they would like to know something about flowers, made up the Botanical
Society.

They were a lonely little group standing on the terrace, while Mr. Byles
was securing a trowel and other instruments of war from his room, but a
large and representative gathering of the Seminary did their best to
cheer and instruct them.

Howieson insisted that the bottle of milk which bulged from the bag of
the younger Dowbiggin contained spirituous liquors, and warned the two
juniors to keep clear of him and to resist every temptation to drinking.
He also expressed an earnest hope that a rumour flying round the school
about tobacco was not true. But the smell on Dowbiggin's clothes was
horrid. Cosh was affectionately exhorted to have a tender care of his
health and personal appearance, not to bully Lord Kilspindie's
gamekeepers, nor to put his foot into a steel trap, nor to meddle with
the rabbits, nor to fall into the Tay, but above all things not to tell
lies.

Thomas John was beset with requests--that he would leave a lock of his
hair in case he should not return, that he would mention the name of the
pawn-broker from whom he got his clothes, that he would bring home a
bouquet of wild flowers for Bulldog, that he would secure a supply of
turnips to make lanterns for Halloween, that he would be kind to Mr.
Byles and see that he took a rest in his net, that he would be careful
to gather up any "h's" Mr. Byles might drop on the road, and that he
should not use bad language under any circumstances.

"Never mind what those boys say, Thomas," said Mr. Byles, who had come
out in time to catch the last exhortation: "it is far better to
himprove, I mean cultivate, the mind than to fly kites like a set of
children; but we all hope that you will have a nice fly, don't we,
boys?" And sarcasm from so feeble a quarter might have provoked a
demonstration had not Byles and his flock been blotted out by an amazing
circumstance. As the botanists started, Speug, who had maintained an
unusual silence all morning, joined the body along with Nestie, and gave
Mr. Byles to understand that he also was hungering for scientific
research. After their fr