, now. Go home and think
it over. To-morrow I mean to ask each one of you to explain his
conduct."

With this, he dismissed the school, and the boys went out as angry as a
hive of bees that have been disturbed. Each one made his speech. Jack
thought it "mean that the master should say they were not fit to be
trusted. He wouldn't have stayed out if he'd known it was school-time."

Bob Holliday said "the young master was a blisterer," and then he
laughed good-naturedly.

Harry Weathervane was angry, and so were all the rest. At length it was
agreed that they didn't want to be cross-questioned about it, and that
it was better that somebody should write something that should give Mr.
Williams a piece of their mind, and show him how hard he was on boys
that didn't mean any harm, but only forgot themselves. And Jack was
selected to do the writing.

Jack made up his mind that the paper he would write should be "a
scorcher."

CHAPTER XXIV

AN APOLOGY

Of course, there was a great deal of talk in the village. The
I-told-you-so people were quite delighted. Old Mother Horn "always knew
that boys couldn't be managed without switching. Didn't the Bible or
somebody say: 'Just as the twig is bent the boy's inclined?' And if you
don't bend your twig, what'll become of your boy?"

The loafers and loungers and gad-abouts and gossips talked a great deal
about the failure of the new plan. They were sure that Mr. Ball would be
back in that school-house before the term was out, unless Williams
should whip a good deal more than he promised to. The boys would just
drive him out.

Jack told his mother, with a grieved face, how harsh the new master had
been, and how he had even said they were _not fit to be trusted_.

"That's a very harsh word," said Mrs. Dudley, "but let us make some
allowances. Mr. Williams is on trial before the town, and he finds
himself nearly ruined by the thoughtlessness of the boys. He had to wait
an hour and a half, with half of the school gone. Think how much he must
have suffered in that time. And then, to have to take a rebuke from Mr.
Weathervane besides, must have stung him to the quick."

"Yes, that's so," said Jack, "but then he had no business to take it for
granted that we did it on purpose."

And Jack went about his chores, trying to think of some way of writing
to the master an address which should be severe, but not too severe. He
planned many things but gave them up. He lay awake in