by not coming down till eleven
o'clock?" asked Cumberland in an angry tone.

"Did its mamma say it was always to have its breakfast in bed, a dear?"
sneered Lawless.

"When she fastened that pretty square collar round its neck," chimed in
Coleman.

"Just like a great gal," added Mullins.

"Mildman was exceedingly angry about it, I can tell you," continued
Cumberland, "and desired me to speak seriously to you on the subject;
such abominable idleness is not to be tolerated."

"It was not idleness," answered I, warmly; "you all know very well, why
I could not come down, and I don't think it was at all right or kind of
you to play me such a trick."

"Eh--now don't say that--you will hurt my feelings; I declare it
is quite affecting," said Coleman, wiping his eyes with Mullins's
handkerchief, of which he had just picked his pocket.

~22~~"I'd have given five pounds to have seen old Sam's phiz, when he
was trying to make out what ailed young stupid here, whether he was
really ill, or only shamming," said Lawless; "depend upon it, he thinks
it was all pretence, and he can't bear anything of that sort; that was
why he began spinning him that long yarn about 'meriting his approbation
by upright and straightforward conduct,' this morning. I saw what the
old boy was aiming at in a minute; there's nothing puts him out so much
as being deceived."

"Won't he set him all the hard lines to construe? that's all," said
Mullins.

"It will be 'hard lines' upon him if he does," observed Coleman.

"Hold your tongue, Freddy! your puns are enough to make one ill," said
Cumberland.

"Well, I don't know whether you are going to stand here all day baiting
your pinafore, Cumberland?" interrupted Lawless; "I'm not, for I've got
a horse waiting for me down at Snaffles's, and I am going to ride over
to Hookley; there's a pigeon-match coming off to-day between Clayton, of
the Lancers--(he was just above me at Eton, you know)--and Tom Horton,
who won the great match at Pinchley, and I have backed Clayton pretty
heavily--shall you come?"

"No," replied Cumberland, "no, I am going down to
F------Street."

"As usual, the board of green cloth, eh? you will go there once too
often, if you don't mind, old fellow." "That's my look out," replied
Cumberland. And away they went to their different pursuits, each, as
he left the room, making me a very low obeisance; Coleman taking the
trouble to open the door again after he had gone out, to beg,