ood many.

Hugh went in search of his new friend, and drew him aside from the rest
to relate his trouble. Dale wondered he had not found out Lamb before
this, enough to refuse to follow his lead. Lamb would never pay a
penny. He always spent the little money he had upon good things, the
first day or two; and then he got what he could out of any one who was
silly enough to trust him.

"But," said Hugh, "the only thing we had to do with each other before
was by my being kind to him."

"That makes no difference," said Dale.

"But what a bad boy he must be! To be sure, he will pay me, when he
knows how much I want a comb."

"He will tell you to buy it out of your five shillings. You let him
know you had five shillings in Mrs Watson's hands."

"Yes; but he knows how I mean to spend that,--for presents to carry home
at Christmas. But I'll never tell him anything again. Oh! Dale! Do
you really think he will never pay me?"

"He never pays anybody; that is all I know. Come,--forget it all, as
fast as you can. Let us go and see if we can get any nuts."

Hugh did not at all succeed in his endeavours to forget his adventure.
The more he thought about it, the worse it seemed; and the next time he
spoke to Holt, and told him to remember that he owed him a shilling,
Holt said he did not know that,--he did not mean to spend a shilling;
and it was clear that it was only his fear of Hugh's speaking to Mrs
Watson or the usher, that prevented his saying outright that he should
not pay it. Hugh felt very hot, and bit his lip to make his voice
steady when he told Dale, on the way home, that he did not believe he
should ever see any part of his half-crown again. Dale thought so too;
but he advised him to do nothing more than keep the two debtors up to
the remembrance of their debt. If he told so powerful a person as
Firth, it would be almost as much tale-telling as if he went to the
master at once; and Hugh himself had no inclination to expose his folly
to Phil, who was already quite sufficiently ashamed of his inexperience.
So poor Hugh threw the last of his plums to some cottager's children on
the green, in his way home; and, when he set foot within bounds again,
he heartily wished that this Saturday afternoon had been rainy too; for
any disappointment would have been better than this scrape.

While learning his lessons for Monday, he forgot the whole matter; and
then he grew merry over the great Saturday night's was