sed.

Then, as Maria faded from his mental vision, pleasant old Mrs Millett
appeared, with her hands raised, and quite a storm of reproaches ready
to be administered to him, followed, when she had finished and forgiven
him, as he knew she would forgive him, by a dose of physic, deemed by
her to be absolutely necessary after his escapade.

The house at last, and everything just as Dexter had anticipated. Maria
opened the door, and then wrinkled up her forehead and screwed up her
lips in a supercilious smile.

"Your mistress in!" said the doctor.

"Yes, sir, in the drawing-room, sir."

"Hah!" ejaculated the doctor.

"Found him, sir? _And_ brought him back!" cried a familiar voice; and
Mrs Millett hurried into the hall. "O you bold, bad boy!" she cried.
"How dare you? And you never took your medicine that night. Oh, for
shame! for shame!"

"Hush, hush, Mrs Millett!" said the doctor sternly. "That will do."

He signed to the old lady, and she left the hall, but turned to shake
her head at the returned culprit as she went, while Maria gave him a
meaning smile as soon as the doctor's back was turned, and then passed
through the baize door.

The doctor stood there silent and frowning for a few minutes, with his
eyes fixed upon the floor, while Dexter awaited his sentence, painfully
conscious, and longing for the doctor to speak and put him out of his
misery.

"Now, sir," he said at last; "you had better go in and speak to Miss
Grayson. She is waiting, I suppose, to see you in that room. I sent
word we were coming."

"No, no," said Dexter quickly. "Don't send me in there, sir. You'd
better send me back to the school, sir. I'm no good, and shall only get
into trouble again; please send me back. I shouldn't like to see Miss
Grayson now."

"Why not!" said the doctor sternly.

"Because you don't believe me, sir, and she won't, and--and--you had
better send me back."

"I am waiting to see you here, Dexter," said Helen gravely, and the boy
started away with a cry, for the drawing-room door had opened silently,
and Helen was standing on the mat.

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

HOW THE DOCTOR PUNISHED.

Dexter's interview with Helen was long and painful, for at first it
seemed as if she had lost all confidence and hope in the boy, till,
realising all this, he cried in a wild outburst of grief--"I know how
wrong it all was, but nearly everybody here seemed to dislike me, and I
did tell the truth about the bo