ece of mischief. The usher was sitting
now on a bench, with a book in his hand; but his attention was, at
present, directed to a group of four boys who had drawn together in
a corner of the playground.

"There is Repton, again," he said to himself. "I wonder what he is
plotting, now. That boy will be the death of me. I am quite sure it
was he who put that eel in my bed, last week; though of course, I
could not prove it."

Mr. Purfleet prided himself on his nerve. He had been telling the
boys some stories he had read of snakes, in India; among them, one
of an officer who, when seated at table, had felt a snake winding
itself round his leg, and who sat for several minutes without
moving, until some friends brought a saucer of milk and placed it
near, when the snake uncurled itself and went to drink.

"It must have required a lot of nerve, Mr. Purfleet," Bob Repton
had said, "to sit as quiet as that."

"Not at all, not at all," the usher replied, confidently. "It was
the natural thing to do. A man should always be calm, in case of
sudden danger, Bob. The first thought in his mind should be, 'What
is this?' the second, 'What had best be done, under the
circumstances?' and, these two things being decided, a man of
courage will deal coolly with the danger. I should despise myself,
if I were to act otherwise."

It was two nights later that the usher, having walked down between
the two rows of beds in the dormitory, and seeing that all the boys
were quiet, and apparently asleep, proceeded to his own bed, which
was at the end of the room, and partly screened off from the rest
by a curtain. No sooner did he disappear behind this than half a
dozen heads were raised. An oil lamp burned at the end of the room,
affording light for the usher to undress; and enabling him, as he
lay in bed, to command a general, if somewhat faint view of the
dormitory. Five minutes after Mr. Purfleet had disappeared behind
the curtain, the watching eyes saw the clothes at the end of the
bed pulled down, and caught a partial view of Mr. Purfleet as he
climbed in. A second later there was a yell of terror, and the
usher leapt from the bed. Instantly, the dormitory was in an
uproar.

"What is it, Mr. Purfleet--what is the matter, sir?" and several of
the boys sprang from their beds, and ran towards him; the only
exceptions to the general excitement being the four or five who
were in the secret. These lay shaking with suppressed laughter,
with the