upon when it was pumped into me? Then I'll tell
you; it was dry bread, with a little bit of cheese when I could get it,
and that wasn't often. Bread and cheese is the food to make a scholar
of ye; and mayhap one slice of the cake mayn't much interfere, so take
them, and run away to the play-ground as fast as you can; and, d'ye hear
me, Master Keene, recollect your grace before meat--`For what we have
received, the Lord make us truly thankful.' Now, off wid you. The rest
of the contents are confiscated for my sole use, and your particular
benefit."

Mr O'Gallagher grinned as he finished his oration; and he looked so
much like a wild beast, that I was glad to be off as fast as I could. I
turned round as I went out of the door, and perceived that the
sandwiches were disappearing with wonderful rapidity; but I caught his
eye: it was like that of a tiger's at his meal, and I was off at
redoubled speed.

CHAPTER FIVE.

As soon as I gained the play-ground, which was, in fact, nothing more
than a small piece of waste land, to which we had no more claim than any
other people, I sat down by a post, and commenced my dinner off what Mr
O'Gallagher had thought proper to leave me. I was afraid of him, it is
true, for his severity to the other boys convinced me that he would have
little mercy upon me, if I dared to thwart him; but indignation soon
began to obtain the mastery over my fears and I began to consider if I
could not be even with him for his barefaced robbery of my dinner; and
then I reflected whether it would not be better to allow him to take my
food if I found out that by so doing he treated me well; and I resolved,
at all events, to delay a little. The hour of play was now over, and a
bell summoned us all to school; I went in with the others and took my
seat where Mr O'Gallagher had before desired me.

As soon as all was silent, my pedagogue beckoned me to him.

"Now, Mr Keene," said he, "you'll be so good as to lend me your ears--
that is, to listen while I talk to you a little bit. D'ye know how many
roads there are to larning? Hold your tongue. I ask you because I know
you don't know, and because I'm going to tell you. There are exactly
three roads: the first is the eye, my jewel; and if a lad has a sharp
eye like yours, it's a great deal that will get into his head by that
road; you'll know a thing when you see it again, although you mayn't
know your own father--that's a secret only known to your