ornings were dark now; and after school he should have to
wash and dress, and be off to his uncle's. On Friday then, his paper
was ruled, and he had only to run across the playground to borrow
Firth's penknife, and then nothing should delay his letter.

In that ran across the playground he was stopped. He was wanted to
collect clean snow for the boys who were bent on finishing their
snow-man while it would bind. He should be let off when he had brought
snow enough. But he knew that by that time his fingers would be too
stiff to hold his pen; and he said he did not choose to stop now. Upon
this Lamb launched a snowball in his face. Hugh grew angry,--or, as his
schoolfellows said, insolent. Some stood between him and the house, to
prevent his getting home, while others promised to roll him in the snow
till he yielded full submission. Instead of yielding, Hugh made for the
orchard-wall, scrambled up it, and stood for the moment out of the reach
of his enemies. He kicked down such a quantity of snow upon any one who
came near, that he held all at bay for some little time. At last,
however, he had disposed of all the snow within his reach, and they were
pelting him thickly with snow-balls. It was not at any time very easy
to stand upright, for long together, upon this wall, as the stones which
capped it were rounded. Now, when the coping-stones were slippery after
the frost, and Hugh nearly blinded with the shower of snow-balls, he
could not keep his footing, and was obliged to sit astride upon the
wall. This brought one foot within reach from below; and though Hugh
kicked, and drew up his foot as far and as often as he could, so as not
to lose his balance, it was snatched at by many hands. At last, one
hand kept its hold, and plenty more then fastened upon his leg. They
pulled: he clung. In another moment, down he came, and the large, heavy
coping-stone, loosened by the frost, came after him, and fell upon his
left foot as he lay.

It was a dreadful shriek that he gave. Mrs Watson heard it in her
store-room, and Mr Tooke in his study. Some labourers felling a tree
in a wood, a quarter of a mile off, heard it, and came running to see
what could be the matter. The whole school was in a cluster round the
poor boy in a few seconds. During this time, while several were engaged
in lifting away the stone, Tooke stooped over him, and said, with his
lips as white as paper,--

"Who was it that pulled you,--that