en put in."

"If you'll tell all about it, I'll let you off easier; if you don't, I
shall give you all the whipping I know how to give." And by way of
giving impressiveness to his threat he took a turn about the room, while
there was an awful stillness among the terrified scholars.

I do not know what was in Bob Holliday's head, but about this time he
managed to open the western door while the master's back was turned.
Bob's desk was near the door.

Poor little Columbus was ready to die, and Jack was afraid that, if the
master should beat him as he threatened to do, the child would die
outright. Luckily, at the second cruel blow, the master broke his switch
and turned to get another. Seeing the door open, Jack whispered to
Columbus:

"Run home as fast as you can go."

The little fellow needed no second bidding. He tottered on his
trembling legs to the door, and was out before Mr. Ball had detected the
motion. When the master saw his prey disappearing out of the door, he
ran after him, but it happened curiously enough, in the excitement, that
Bob Holliday, who sat behind the door, rose up, as if to look out, and
stumbled against the door, thus pushing it shut, so that by the time Mr.
Ball got his stiff legs outside the door, the frightened child was under
such headway that, fearing to have the whole school in rebellion, the
teacher gave over the pursuit, and came back prepared to wreak his
vengeance on Jack.

While Mr. Ball was outside the door, Bob Holliday called to Jack, in a
loud whisper, that he had better run, too, or the old master would "skin
him alive." But Jack had been trained to submit to authority, and to run
away now would lose him his winter's schooling, on which he had set
great store. He made up his mind to face the punishment as best he
could, fleeing only as a last resort if the beating should be
unendurable.

"Now," said the master to Jack, "will you tell me who put that gunpowder
in the stove? If you don't, I'll take it out of your skin."

Jack could not bear to tell, especially under a threat. I think that
boys are not wholly right in their notion that it is dishonorable to
inform on a school-mate, especially in the case of so bad an offence as
that of which Will and Ben were guilty. But, on the other hand, the last
thing a master ought to seek is to turn boys into habitual spies and
informers on one another. In the present instance, Jack ought, perhaps,
to have told, for the offence was c