Here, John, John, I say," he called, when the time came for him to
return to College, "go catch and saddle Sultan for me. You're so fond of
work, you might as well have two masters. Be quick now, for I'm in the
mischief of a hurry."

John's face flushed. This boy was younger than himself, and his father
had been Mr. Hawthorne's friend.

"Do you hear what I say, John?" demanded Reginald. "You're only here as
a servant any way, and I'll be master some day, so you might as well
learn to obey me now."

John's brow cleared, while the words echoed in his heart with a glad
refrain,--

"A servant of Jesus Christ," and "The Lord's servant must not strive,
but be gentle towards all ... forbearing." After all, life was a matter
between himself and the Lord Jesus. What could Reginald's taunts affect
him now?

"All right," he said quietly, and started for the field.

"I declare!" muttered Reginald, as he watched the tall, lithe form
cross the field with springing step, "you might as well try to make the
fellow mad now, as to storm Gibraltar! What has come to him?"

"Here you are, Sir Reginald," said John good-humoredly, as he led the
freshly groomed horse to the riding-block.

Reginald's voice choked. "Shake hands, John," he said huskily. "I am a
brute! There must be something in this new fad of yours after all. If
you had spoken to me as I did to you just now, I should have knocked you
down."

He rode on for a mile or two in moody silence, then he gave his
shoulders an impatient shrug.

"I'd like to know what it is about John Randolph that makes me feel so
small! I have good times and he is always on the grind. I have all the
money I can spend and he has nothing but the pittance the governor gives
him, and yet he is three times the better fellow of the two. I envy him
his spunk and go. He comes to everything as fresh as a two-year old, and
he works everything for all there is in it. To see him climbing that
hill yesterday, with the youngster on his shoulder, actually made me
feel as if climbing hills was the jolliest thing in life. And it's so
with everything he does. Confound it! I don't see why I can't get the
same comfort out of things. I don't see where the fellow gets his vim.
If I worked as hard as he does, I'd be ready to tumble into bed instead
of pegging away at Latin and Mathematics. I'll have to put on a spurt in
self-defence or he'll be tripping me up with his questions. He's got the
longest head of anyone