his trickery were Eric, Russell,
and Owen.

Eric did _not_ yield to it; never once did he suffer his eyes to glance
at the paper when his turn to repeat came round. But although this was
the case, he never spoke against the practice to the other boys, even
when he lost places by it. Nay more, he would laugh when any one told
him how he had escaped "skewing" (_i.e._ being turned) by reading it
off; and he even went so far as to allow them to suppose that he
wouldn't himself object to take advantage of the master's unsuspicious
confidence.

"I say, Williams," said Duncan, one morning as they strolled into the
school-yard, "do you know your Rep.?"

"No," said Eric, "not very well; I haven't given more than ten minutes
to it."

"Oh, well, never mind it now; come and have a game at racquets? Russel
and Montagu have taken the court."

"But I shall skew."

"Oh no, you needn't, you know. I'll take care to pin it up on the desk
near you."

"Well, I don't much care. At any rate I'll chance it." And off the boys
ran to the racquet-court, Eric intending to occupy the last quarter of
an hour before school-time in learning his lesson. Russell and he stood
the other two, and they were very well matched. They had finished two
splendid games, and each side had been victorious in turn, when Duncan,
in the highest spirits, shouted, "Now, Russell, for the conqueror."

"Get some one else in my place," said Russell; "I don't know my Rep.,
and must cut and learn it."

"O bother the Rep.," said Montagu; "somebody's sure to write it out in
school, and old Gordon'll never see."

"You forget, Montagu, I never condescend to that."

"O ay, I forgot. Well, after all, you're quite right; I only wish I was
as good."

"What a capital fellow he is," continued Montagu, leaning on his racquet
and looking after him, as Russell left the court; "but I say, Williams,
you're not going too, are you?"

"I think I must, I don't know half my lesson."

"O no! don't go; there's Llewellyn; he'll take Russell's place, and we
_must_ have the conquering game."

Again Eric yielded; and when the clock struck he ran into school, hot,
vexed with himself, and certain to break down, just as Russell strolled
in, whispering, "I've had lots of time to get up the Horace, and know
it pat."

Still he clung to the little thistledown of hope that he should have
plenty of time to cram it before the form were called up. But another
temptation awaited him. No soon