ands.

"I'm a deal weaker than I was last week," he murmured; "but I must
try and last out till father's back. I'll write to him now, and tell
him how fast I'm going. If there was any one a bit friendly, I'd tell
'em about it all, and ask 'em to look after the little 'uns if I go
quicker; but there isn't. They all seem against me and my rags. I
thought Mr. Archie looked so kind at first, but I can see now he
thinks worse of me than any."

He got out some sheets of paper he had in his pocket, and pulled the
pens and ink on the table towards him.

He did not write very fast, and as he had a good deal to say, he was
some time over his letter. About twenty minutes had passed, when the
room seemed to get very misty. The pen dropped out of Stephen's hand,
and he fell back, with his eyes shut, and his head against the rail of
the chair.

He had remained thus, asleep from very weakness, for about an hour,
when he was suddenly aroused by a rough voice in his ear.

"Wake up, skulker! your time's come at last."

He opened his eyes, his heart throbbing violently, and there stood the
burly form of Simon Bond. He looked bigger than ever in the
dimly-lighted room; and as his great grimy face came nearer, and his
strong hands grasped Stephen's ear and collar, he felt that his last
moment had come, and even sooner than he had expected.

"Get up!" said his enemy, giving him a kick, and dragging him roughly
from the chair. "Now," he went on, "I think you refused to answer my
questions last time I asked 'em. You'll please to alter your ways from
to-night, or you'll get more o' _these_ than you'll quite like."

As he spoke he let go of the lad's collar with his right hand, and
brought it swinging down with all his force on the side of Stephen's
head.

Instantly the boy dropped like one dead at his feet.

At the same moment the office-door opened, and the appalling sight
appeared of Mr. Fairfax's tall form, followed closely by his son
Archie.

Not a second did Simon lose. He turned to the door, and was off like a
flash of lightning.

Archie made a rush, as though to follow him.

"Cowardly lout!" he cried.

"No; stop, Archie," said his father. "You couldn't catch him; and if
you did, you couldn't keep him. We'll examine him to-morrow--we both
saw who it was. Now let us look after this poor lad."

"See, father, he was writing a letter," said Archie.

Mr. Fairfax took up the paper. This is what it said:--

"DEAR FATHER,--