Lady Royland looking up pale and disturbed, and, upon seeing her son's
face, exclaiming--

"Why, Roy, how hot and tired you look! Have you been running?"

The secretary laughed contemptuously.

"No, mother; practising fencing with Ben."

"Oh, Roy!" cried his mother, reproachfully; "what can you want with
fencing? My dear boy, pray think more of your books."

Master Pawson gave the lad a peculiar look, and Roy felt as if he should
like to kick out under the table so viciously that the sneering smile
might give place to a contraction expressing pain.

But Roy did not speak, and the breakfast went on.

CHAPTER SIX.

BEN MARTLET FEELS RUSTY.

"Come to me in half an hour, Roy," said Master Pawson, as they rose from
the table, the boy hurrying away to the armoury to find Ben busy as
ever, and engaged now in seeing to the straps and fittings of the
Italian suit of bronzed steel.

"Thought I'd do it, sir," he said, "in case you ever asked for it; but I
s'pose it's all over with your learning to be a man now."

"Indeed it is not," said Roy, sharply. "I'm sure my father would not
object to my learning fencing."

"Sword-play, sir."

"Very well--sword-play," said Roy, pettishly; "so long as I do not
neglect any studies I have to go through with Master Pawson."

"And I s'pose you've been a-neglecting of 'em, sir, eh?" said the old
man, drily.

"That I've not. Perhaps I have not got on so well as I ought, but
that's because I'm stupid, I suppose."

"Nay, nay, nay! That won't do, Master Roy. There's lots o' things I
can do as you can't; but that's because you've never learnt."

"Master Pawson's cross because I don't do what he wants."

"Why, what does he want you to do, sir?"

"Learn to play the big fiddle."

"What!" cried the man, indignantly. "Then don't you do it, my lad."

"I don't mean to," said Roy; "and I don't want to hurt my mother's
feelings; and so I won't make a lot of show over learning sword-play
with you, but I shall go on with it, Ben, and you shall take the swords
or sticks down in the hollow in the wood, and I'll meet you there every
morning at six."

"Mean it, sir?"

"Yes, of course; and now I must be off. I was to be with Master Pawson
in half an hour."

"Off you go, then, my lad. Always keep to your time."

Roy ran off, and was going straight to Master Pawson's room in the
corner tower, but on the way he met Lady Royland, who took his arm and
walked with him out into