nd leaning his back against the mantel-piece; he
wasn't a bad fellow, and couldn't help not being able to put down the
unruly fifth form. His eye twinkled as he went on. "Did I ever tell
you how the young vagabond sold me[13] last half?"

[13] #Sold me#: tricked or outwitted me.

"No--how?"

"Well, he never half cleaned my study out, only just stuck the
candlesticks in the cupboard, and swept the crumbs on to the floor. So
at last I was mortal angry, and had him up, and made him go through
the whole performance under my eyes: the dust the young scamp made
nearly choked me, and showed that he hadn't swept the carpet before.
Well, when it was all finished: 'Now, young gentleman,' says I, 'mind,
I expect this to be done every morning--floor swept, table-cloth taken
off and shaken, and everything dusted.' 'Very well,' grunts he. Not a
bit of it, though--I was quite sure in a day or two that he never took
the table-cloth off even. So I laid a trap for him; I tore up some
paper and put half a dozen bits on my table one night, and the cloth
over them as usual. Next morning, after breakfast, up I came, pulled
off the cloth, and sure enough there was the paper, which fluttered
down on to the floor. I was in a towering rage. 'I've got you now,'
thought I, and sent for him, while I got out my cane. Up he came, as
cool as you please, with his hands in his pockets. 'Didn't I tell you
to shake my table-cloth every morning?' roared I. 'Yes,' says he. 'Did
you do it this morning?' 'Yes.' 'You young liar! I put these pieces of
paper on the table last night, and if you'd taken the table-cloth off
you'd have seen them, so I'm going to give you a good licking.' Then
my youngster takes one hand out of his pocket, and just stoops down
and picks up two of the bits of paper, and holds them out to me. There
was written on each, in great round text: 'Harry East, his mark.' The
young rogue had found my trap out, taken away my paper, and put some
of his there, every bit ear-marked.[14] I'd a great mind to lick him
for his impudence, but, after all, one has no right to be laying
traps, so I didn't. Of course I was at his mercy till the end of the
half, and in his weeks my study was so frowzy[15] I couldn't sit in
it."

[14] #Ear-marked#: marked with a private mark.

[15] #Frowzy#: dirty, slovenly.

"They spoil one's things so, too," chimed in a third boy. "Hall and
Brown were night-fags last week; I called fag, and gave them my