is of course quite right, more than right,
to insist on your sitting properly at table. However, do not take the
correction too much to heart. I sympathise with all your difficulties."

"I was only going to ask you," Clara went on, in a weaker, stammering
voice, "if you knew that Edwin's left school to-day." Her archness had
deserted her.

"Mischievous little thing!" thought Edwin. "Why must she deliberately
go and draw attention to that?" And he too blushed, feeling as if he
owed an apology to the company for having left school.

"Oh yes!" said Auntie Clara with eager benevolence. "I've got something
to say about that to my nephew."

Mr Clayhanger searched in a pocket of his alpaca, and drew forth an
open envelope.

"Here's the lad's report, auntie," said he. "Happen ye'd like to look
at it."

"I should indeed!" she replied fervently. "I'm sure it's a very good
one."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOUR.

She took the paper, and assumed her spectacles.

"Conduct--Excellent," she read, poring with enthusiasm over the
document. And she read again: "Conduct--Excellent." Then she went down
the list of subjects, declaiming the number of marks for each; and at
the end she read: "Position in class next term: Third. Splendid, Eddy!"
she exclaimed.

"I thought you were second," said Clara, in her sharp manner.

Edwin blushed again, and hesitated.

"Eh? What's that? What's that?" his father demanded. "I didn't notice
that. Third?"

"Charlie Orgreave beat me in the examination," Edwin muttered.

"Well, that's a pretty how d'ye do!" said his father. "Going down one!
Ye ought to ha' been first instead o' third. And would ha' been,
happen, if ye'd pegged at it."

"Now I won't have that! I won't have it!" Auntie Clara protested,
laughingly showing her fine teeth and gazing first at Darius, and then
at Edwin, from under her spectacles, her head being thrown back and the
curls hanging far behind. "No one shall say that Edwin doesn't work,
not even his father, while his auntie's about! Because I know he does
work! And besides, he hasn't gone down. It says, `position next
term'--not this term. You were still second to-day, weren't you, my
boy?"

"I suppose so. Yes," Edwin answered, pulling himself together.

"Well! There you are!" Auntie Clara's voice rang triumphantly. She
was opening her purse. "And there you are!" she repeated, popping hal