lucky
fellow. Sit down and have some supper."

Tom obeyed, by no means loath. He ate and drank, listening to the
pleasant talk, and wondering how soon he should be in the fifth, and
one of that much-envied society.

As he got up to leave, Brooke said: "You must shake hands to-morrow
morning; I shall come and see that done after first lesson."

And so he did. And Tom and the Slogger shook hands with great
satisfaction and mutual respect. And for the next year or two,
whenever fights were being talked of, the small boys who had been
present shook their heads wisely, saying: "Ah! but you should just
have seen the fight between Slogger Williams and Tom Brown!"

THE OLD BOY'S RULES.

And now, boys all, three words before we quit the subject. I have put
in this chapter on fighting, of malice prepense,[46] partly because I
want to give you a true picture of what every-day school life was in
my time, and not a kid-glove and go-to-meeting-coat-picture; and
partly because of the cant[47] and twaddle that's talked of boxing and
fighting with fists nowadays. Even Thackeray has given in to it; and
only a few weeks ago there was some rampant stuff in the _Times_ on
the subject, in an article on field sports.

[46] #Malice prepense#: with deliberate purpose.

[47] #Cant#: hypocritical or meaningless talk.

Boys will quarrel, and when they quarrel will sometimes fight.
Fighting with fists is the natural and English way for English boys to
settle their quarrels. What substitute for it is there, or ever was
there, amongst any nation under the sun? What would you like to see
take its place?

Learn to box, then, as you learn to play cricket and foot-ball. Not
one of you will be the worse, but very much the better for learning to
box well. Should you never have to use it in earnest, there is no
exercise in the world so good for the temper, and for the muscles of
the back and legs.

As to fighting, keep out of it if you can by all means. When the time
comes, if it ever should, that you have to say "Yes" or "No" to a
challenge to fight, say "No" if you can,--only take care you make it
clear to yourselves why you say "No." It's a proof of the highest
courage, if done from true Christian motives. It's quite right and
justifiable, if done from a simple aversion to physical pain and
danger. But don't say "No" because you fear a licking, and say or
think it's because you fear God, for that's neither Christian nor
honest. An