el Moossy
could be heard crying encouragement, and demanding whether the "mices"
had been caught, but nothing would induce him to come down from his
fastness. When things were at their highest, and gay spirits like Speug
were beginning to conclude that even a big snow fight was nothing to a
mouse hunt, and Howieson had been so lifted that he had mounted a desk,
not to catch a mouse, but to give a cheer, and was standing there
without collar or tie, dishevelled, triumphant, and raised above all the
trials of life, the door opened and Bulldog entered. And it was a
beautiful tribute to the personality of that excellent man, that the
whole room crystallised in an instant, and everyone remained motionless,
frozen, as it were, in the act.

Bulldog looked round with that calm composure which sat so well upon
him, taking in Moossy perched upon his desk, Howieson on his form, Speug
sitting with easy dignity on the top of Thomas John, and half a dozen
worthies still tied together in a scrimmage, as if this were a sight to
which he was accustomed every day in Muirtown Seminary.

"Foreign languages," he began, after a pause of ten seconds, "is
evidently a verra divertin' subject of study, and I wonder that any
pupil is left in the department of mathematics. I was not aware, Jock,
that ye needed to stand on a form before you could do your German, and I
suppose that is the French class in the corner. I'm sorry to intrude,
but I'm pleased to see a class in earnest about its work, I really am."

"Mices!" remarked Bulldog in icy tones, as poor Moossy came down from
his desk and began to explain. "My impression is that you are right, as
far as I can judge--and I have some acquaintance with the circumstances.
There are a considerable number of mices in this room, a good many more
mices than were brought in somebody's pocket this morning. The mices I
see were in my class-room this morning, and they were very quiet and
peaceable mices, and they'll be the same in this class-room after this,
or I'll know the reason why. If you'll excuse me," and Bulldog embraced
the whole scene in a comprehensive farewell, "I'll leave the foreign
class-room and go down and see what my laddies are doing with their
writing"; and when Bulldog closed the door Howieson realised that he
owed his escape to Bulldog's respect for another man's class-room, but
that the joyful day in modern languages had come to an end. There would
be no more "mices."

Next Saturday