it one little stroke with all the
strength he had. "The fiddlers," he said softly, "the little fiddlers
can't do without me, after all." A tear gathered in his eye and
overflowed and rolled down Bulldog's cheek. Manley hurried the boys out
of the room, who went into the garden, and, being joined by the master's
dog, the three together played every monkey trick they knew, while
upstairs in the sick-room Manley declared that Bulldog had turned the
corner and would soon be back again among his "fiddlers."

[Illustration: "HIS HAND CLOSED AGAIN UPON THE SCEPTRE OF AUTHORITY."]

The doctor insisted upon driving Peter home to his native stable-yard,
for this was only proper courtesy to a consulting physician. He called
him "Doctor" and "Sir Peter" and such like names all the way, whereat
Peter was so abashed that friends seeing him sitting in Manley's
phaeton, with such an expression on his face, spread abroad the tale
that the doctor was bringing him home with two broken legs as the result
of riding a strange horse. The doctor bade him good-bye in the presence
of his father, tipping him ten shillings to treat the school on the news
of Bulldog's convalescence, and next day stone-ginger was flowing like
water down the throats of the Seminary.

A PLEASANT SIN

XI

Captious people, such as ministers of religion and old maids of the
precise kind, considered that the Seminary were guilty of many sins and
mentioned them freely; but those excellent people erred through lack of
vision. Hunting mice in Moossy's class-room, putting the Dowbiggins'
clothes into a state of thorough repair, raiding the territory of the
"Pennies," having a stand-up fight between two well-matched champions,
say, once a month, and "ragging" Mr. Byles, might have an appearance of
evil, but were in reality disguised virtues, feeding the high spirit of
those who were active, and teaching the Christian grace of meekness to
those who were passive. There was only one act which the Seminary knew
it ought not to do, and which all the boys wanted to do, which they
enjoyed very much in doing, and were quite willing to be punished for
doing. The besetting sin of a school--a country school--which will
remain its sin until the days of the millennium have fairly set in, was
playing truant.

This crime was equivalent to high treason in the State, and consisted in
a boy absenting himself from school without the knowledge of his
parents, and without the conse