you some trick and get our butter, but you can toast just as well
as I." So Tom, in the midst of three or four more urchins similarly
employed, toasted his face and the sausages at the same time before
the huge fire, till the latter cracked, when East from his watch-tower
shouted that they were done, and then the feast proceeded, and the
festive cups of tea were filled and emptied, and Tom imparted of the
sausages in small bits to many neighbors, and thought he had never
tasted such good potatoes or seen such jolly boys. They on their part
waived all ceremony, and pegged away at the sausages and potatoes,
and, remembering Tom's performance in goal, voted East's new crony a
brick. After tea, and while the things were being cleared away, they
gathered round the fire, and the talk on the match still went on; and
those who had them to show, pulled up their trousers and showed the
hacks they had received in the good cause.

They were soon however all turned out of the School, and East
conducted Tom up to his bedroom, that he might get on clean things and
wash himself before singing.

"What singing?" said Tom, taking his head out of his basin, where he
had been plunging it in cold water.

"Well, you are jolly green," answered his friend from a neighboring
basin. "Why, the last six Saturdays of every half, we sing, of course,
and this is the first of them. No first lesson to do, you know, and
lie in bed to-morrow morning."

"But who sings?"

"Why, everybody, of course; you'll see soon enough. We begin directly
after supper, and sing till bed-time. It isn't such good fun now
though as in the summer half, 'cause then we sing in the little fives'
court, under the library you know, and we cut about the quadrangle
between the songs, and it looks like a lot of robbers in a cave. And
the louts[6] come and pound at the great gate, and we pound back
again, and shout at them. But this half we only sing in the hall. Come
along down to my study."

[6] #Louts#: here, town men or boys, "outsiders."

Their principal employment in the study was to clear out East's table,
removing the drawers and ornaments and table-cloth; for he lived in
the bottom passage, and his table was in requisition for the singing.

SUPPER.

Supper came in due course at seven o'clock, consisting of bread and
cheese and beer, which was all saved for the singing; and directly
afterward the fags went to work to prepare the hall. The School-house
hall, a