e has let him off with a good licking, sooner than get
him sent to prison, for he don't think prison's good for young men like
him."

"I suppose it isn't," I said thoughtfully, as I watched my companion,
and saw how lovingly he arranged and rearranged his grotesque-looking
creatures at the bottom and on the rough shelves of the bin that he had
put up from time to time.

And as I watched him, an idea entered my brain which tickled me so, that
I had hard work to keep from laughing aloud, and being noticed.

The idea came as he glanced at me, and moved the rabbit to the corner
nearest to him--the absurd-looking object being carefully covered over,
as if he was afraid I should begin joking him again about its unfinished
state.

All at once, moved by the impulse which had set me laughing, I leaned
over and stretched out my hand toward the corner where he had placed the
rabbit.

"What are you going to do?" he cried excitedly, and he caught my wrist.

"Only going to take out bunny, and see how he's getting on."

"No, no, don't."

"Why not?" I cried merrily.

"Because--because I don't want it touched."

"But I can improve it so."

"No, no: be quiet. Oh, I say, Frank, pray don't touch it."

"Oh, all right," I said, after a good-humoured struggle with him, in
which I did not use much force, and I let him shut the bin, and sit on
the lid.

Dinner!

For the bell began to ring, and I dashed down, to run out of the stable
and across the yard, expecting that he would follow me, and running so
blindly that I came right upon Dicksee, just leaving the stable door,
and sent him down upon his hands and knees.

"Hallo!" I shouted; "what were you doing there?--listening?"

"What's that to you?" grumbled the boy, as he rose slowly and carefully,
examining his hands to see if the skin was off. "You did that on
purpose."

"No, I didn't," I replied; "but I would have done it, if I had known you
were sneaking and eavesdropping there."

"Who was sneaking and eavesdropping? What was there to listen to?" he
retorted. "'Tain't your stable. I've as good a right there as you
have. Tom Mercer and you ain't going to have it all to yourselves for
your old slugs and snails and dead cats."

"You mind Tom Mercer doesn't catch you," I said. "You don't want him to
lick you again, I know."

"Yah!" he shouted, and he ran off just as my companion came down.

"Who was that?" he said.

"Fatty Dicksee. I told him you'd give hi