isgust that this has caused me, to
find that _you_ at least are honourable. But I _knew_, Edwin, that I
could trust you."

"Oh, sir, I come to speak for Eric--for Williams."

Mr Gordon's brow darkened again and the storm gathered, as he
interrupted vehemently, "Not a word, Russell; not a word. This is the
_second_ time that he has wilfully deceived me; and this time he has
involved others too in his base deceit."

"Indeed, sir, you wrong him. I can't think how he came to write the
paper, but I _know_ that he did not and would not use it. Didn't you
see yourself, sir, how he turned his head quite another way when he
broke down?"

"It is very kind of you, Edwin, to defend him," said Mr Gordon coldly,
"but at present, at any rate, I must not hear you. Leave me; I feel
deeply vexed, and must have time to think over this disgraceful affair."

Russell went away disconsolate, and met his friend striding up and down
the passage, waiting for Dr Rowlands to come out of the library.

"Oh, Eric," he said, "how came you to write that paper?"

"Why, Russell, I did feel very much ashamed, and I would have explained
it, and said so; but that Gordon spites me so. It is such a shame; I
don't feel now as if I cared one bit."

"I am sorry you don't get on with him; but remember you have given him
in this case good cause to suspect. You never crib, Eric, I know, so I
can't help being sorry that you wrote the paper."

"But then Graham asked me to do it, and called me cowardly because I
refused at first."

"Ah, Eric," said Russell, "they will ask you to do worse things if you
yield so easily. I wouldn't say anything to Dr Rowlands about it, if I
were you."

Eric took the advice, and, full of mortification, went home. He gave
his father a true and manly account of the whole occurrence, and that
afternoon Mr Williams wrote a note of apology and explanation to Mr
Gordon. Next time the form went up, Mr Gordon said, in his most
freezing tone, "Williams, at present I shall take no further notice of
your offence beyond including you in the extra lesson every
half-holiday."

From that day forward Eric felt that he was marked and suspected, and
the feeling worked on him with the worst effects. He grew more careless
in work, and more trifling and indifferent in manner. Several boys now
got above him in form whom he had easily surpassed before, and his
energies were for a time entirely directed to keeping that supremacy in
th