aid an instant later, and he
recovered his hat very neatly. "I can leap a little, you know, not
m-much yet," and again he smiled round the ring.

Nothing quite like this had happened before in the Seminary, and there
was a pause in the proceedings, which was the salvation of Nestie, and
far more of Peter McGuffie. He had been arrested by the first sight of
Nestie and had been considering the whole situation in silence. Peter
had a sudden inspiration.

"Did ye say Nestie?" inquired Speug, with an almost kindly accent,
moving a little forward as for purposes of identification.

"My pater calls me that, and ... others did, but perhaps you would like
to say Molyneux. What is your name?"

"We 'ill call ye 'Nestie'; it's no an ill word, an' it runs on the
tongue. Ma name is Peter McGuffie, or Speug, an' gin onybody meddle wi'
ye gie's a cry." And to show the celerity of his assistance Peter sent
the remains of Cosh's bonnet into the "well" just as Bulldog came down
to his room.

"Bulldog's in," as that estimable man identified the owner of the bonnet
and passed on to his class-room. "In aifter him, an' gie yir name, afore
the schule comes."

"Will you come with me, P-Peter?" and that worthy followed him
mechanically, while the school held their breath; "it would be kind of
you to intwodoosh--it's a little difficult that word--me to the
master."

"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Bulldog at the sight of the two,
for speech was paralysed in Speug and he was aghast at his own audacity.

"A new laddie ... ca'ed Molly, Mol ... a' canna mind it ... Nestie ...
he dinna know the way...." And Speug broke down and cast a despairing
look at the cane.

"Peter pwotected me from the other boys, who were making fun of me, and
I asked him to bwing me in to you, sir; he was very p-polite."

"Was he?" said Bulldog, regarding Speug's confusion with unconcealed
delight; "that is quite his public character in this school, and there's
nobody better known. My advice"--here Bulldog stopped, and looked from
Speug to Nestie as one who was about to say something and had changed
his mind--"is to ... be friends with Peter."

So when the school took their places Nestie was seated next to Speug,
and it was understood in a week that Nestie was ready to take his fair
share in any honest fun that was going, but that if one of the baser
sort tried to play the blackguard with Nestie, he had to balance
accounts with Speug, and that the last fa