pparently gloating
with gusto over the consternation he had created, amidst a stillness in
which you could have heard a pin drop.

After holding all hearts for some time in suspense in this way, glaring
round the room with an expression of diabolical amusement, such as a cat
may sometimes assume when playing with a mouse before finally putting it
out of its misery, Dr Hellyer spoke again. It was to the point.

"Boy Leigh," he exclaimed, "come here."

I advanced tremblingly to where he stood. Though I was pretty
courageous naturally, his manner was so strange and uncanny that he
fairly frightened me.

"What is the matter with your nose?" was his first query, as soon as I
had come up close to him, pointing with his fat forefinger at the
injured member, which I had vainly thought would have escaped the
observation of his keen eye.

"I--I--I've hurt it, sir," said I, in desperation.

"Boy Leigh, you are not truthful," was his answer to this, shaking the
fat forefinger warningly in my face, rather too near to be pleasant.
"You've been fighting already, and that against my express injunctions;
and now, you attempt to conceal the effects of your disobedience by
telling a falsehood--worse and worse!"

"I--I really couldn't help it; it wasn't my fault, sir," I pleaded.

"Ah, worse still! He who excuses, accuses himself," said the stern
Rhadamanthus. "Boy Slodgers, approach."

My whilom opponent of the playground thereupon came up to where I was in
front of the Doctor; when on closer inspection, I could see that he was
in a fair way of having a splendid pair of black eyes from the blow I
had given him. This was some satisfaction, and put a little more pluck
into me as I faced my judge. I trembled no longer.

"Boy Slodgers, what's the matter with your eyes?" asked Dr Hellyer of
the fresh culprit, in the same searching way in which he had
interrogated me.

"Please, sir, Leigh hit me, sir," said the sneak, glibly, in a whining
voice that was very different to the bullying tone he had adopted when
catechising me before our "little unpleasantness" occurred.

"Ah--Leigh--ah--you see _my_ boys tell the truth," observed the Doctor
parenthetically to me; and then, turning again to Slodgers, he said,
inquiringly, "And, I suppose, you then--ah--returned his blow?"

"Oh no, please, sir," replied he, confirming what Tom had told me of his
inveracity; "I happened to have my hand up, sir; and, rushing at me in
his fury, he