u, and
you turn restive as that jackass we hired for you to ride down in
Essex."

"Haven't you three fellows been teaching me ever since I was a little
tot, to try and be a man?"

"Yes," said Uncle Dick.

"When I've tumbled down and knocked the skin off my knees haven't you
said `don't cry: be a man!'"

"Oh yes! Guilty!" said Uncle Dick.

"If I fell out of the swing didn't you hold your cool hand to the great
lump on my head and tell me that I must try to bear it without howling:
like a man?"

"Yes, boy, yes."

"And when I broke my arm, after getting up the rock after the gulls'
eggs, didn't you tell me about the Spartan boys?"

"I did, Cob, I did."

"Yes, of course you did," I cried indignantly. "You were all three
alike: always teaching me to bear pain and be courageous, and master my
natural cowardice and be a man. Now didn't you?"

"Ay, ay, ay! Captain Cob," they chorused.

"And here," I cried passionately, "after fighting all these years and
making myself miserable so as to do exactly what you all taught me, now
that there is a chance of showing that I know my lesson and have done
well, you all treat me like a mollycoddle, and say to me by your looks:
`you're a poor cowardly little cub; go home to your mother and be
nursed.'"

"Have you done with the soap?" said Uncle Dick, turning to Uncle Jack,
as I stood there, feeling angry, passionate, excited, and carried out of
myself.

"Eh?" said Uncle Jack staring.

"I say, have you done with the metaphorical soap? I want to wash my
hands of him too."

"It's too bad, uncle," I cried.

"Here, Bob," said Uncle Dick in his grim way, "you take him in hand."

"No, thank you," said Uncle Bob. "I'll trouble you for the soap when
you've done."

"And now," I cried, speaking to them as I had never done before, "you
make worse of it by laughing at me."

"No, no," cried Uncle Dick; "we were not laughing at you, but we do
now;" and starting with a tremendous "Ha-ha-ha!" the others joined in,
and I stalked out of the parlour and went up to my room, where I set to
work, and in about ten minutes had all my belongings carefully packed in
my little carpet-bag--the new one that had been bought for me--and the
little brass padlock on and locked.

Just then the parlour door opened as I was looking out of my bed-room
window at the smoke and glow over the town, and thinking that after all
I liked the noise and dirt and busy toil always going on, knowing, as I