ble humour, instead of a whole, he made it known that
there would only be a half, holiday, and we were consequently all called
in for morning lessons instead of carrying about, as we had intended,
the effigy of the only true reformer that ever existed in this country.

This made us all very sulky and discontented in the first place, and our
anxiety to get out of school was so great, that the lessons were not
very perfect in the second. The ferrule and rod were called out and
liberally administered; but what was our horror and dismay when Mr
O'Gallagher, about an hour before dinner, announced to us that all the
squibs and crackers, with which our pockets were crammed, were to be
given up immediately; and that, as we had not said our lessons well,
there would be no half-holiday, the whole school were in mute despair.

One by one were the boys summoned up to the throne of Mr O'Gallagher,
and their pockets searched by Phil Mooney, who emptied them of their
pyrotechnical contents, all of which were deposited on the dais of Mr
O'Gallagher's throne, which, I have before observed, was composed of two
empty claret cases turned upside down, surmounted by another, on which
Mr O'Gallagher sat, all three covered with old green baize.

By the time that the whole school had been rifled, the heap of fireworks
was very considerable, and Mr O'Gallagher, to prevent any of them being
recovered by the boys, lifted up the claret case on which he sat, and
which was on the top of the other two, and desired Phil Mooney to put
them all underneath it. This was done; Mr O'Gallagher resumed his
seat, and the lessons continued till the dinner hour arrived, but, alas!
not the half-holiday or the fireworks.

The boys went out; some mournful, some angry, some sulky, some
frightened; a few, a very few, declaiming against such injustice.

I was in a rage; my blood boiled; at last my invention came to my aid,
and, without considering the consequences, I determined how to act.

As it was an hour and a half before school would commence, I hastened
home, and, having spent all my money, begged aunt Milly to give me some;
she gave me a shilling, and with that I bought as much gunpowder as I
could procure, more than a quarter of a pound.

I then returned to the school, looked into the school-room, and found it
empty; I quickly raised up the claret case, under which the fireworks
had been placed, put the powder under it, leaving only sufficient for a
ver