boy--spoke solemnly. He
was a dandy, the understudy--as John soon discovered--of one of the
"Bloods"; a "Junior Blood," or "Would-be," a tremendous authority on
"swagger," a stickler for tradition, who had been nearly three years in
the school.

"The Demon is right," said he. "A new boy can't be too careful, Verney.
Your being funny in hall just now made a dev'lish bad impression."

"But I didn't mean to be funny. I told Lawrence so directly after
call-over."

The Caterpillar pulled down his cuffs.

"If you didn't mean to be funny," he concluded, "you must be an ass."

Duff, however, remembered that John was nephew to an explorer.

"I say," he jogged John's elbow, "do you think you could get me your
uncle's autograph?"

"Why, of course," said John.

"Thanks. I've not a bad collection," the Duffer murmured modestly.

"And the gem of it," said Scaife, "is Billington's, the hangman! The
Duffer shivers whenever he looks at it."

"Yes, I do," said Duff, grinning horribly.

After supper and Prayers, John went to bed, but not to sleep for at
least an hour. He lay awake, thinking over the events of this memorable
day. Whenever he closed his eyes he beheld two objects: the spire of
Harrow Church and the vivid, laughing face of Desmond. He told himself
that he liked Desmond most awfully. And Scaife too, the Demon, had been
kind. But somehow John did not like Scaife. Then, in a curious
half-dreamy condition, not yet asleep and assuredly not quite awake, he
seemed to see the figure of Scaife expanding, assuming terrific
proportions, impending over Desmond, standing between him and the spire,
obscuring part of the spire at first, and then, bit by bit,
overshadowing the whole.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Byron, writing to John Murray, May 26, 1822, and giving directions
for the burial of poor little Allegra's body, says--

"I wish it to be buried in Harrow Church. There is a spot in the
churchyard, near the footpath, on the brow of the hill looking towards
Windsor, and a tomb under a large tree (bearing the name of Peachie, or
Peachey), where I used to sit for hours and hours as a boy: this was my
favourite spot; but, as I wish to erect a tablet to her memory, the body
had better be deposited in the church."

See also "Lines written beneath an elm in the churchyard of Harrow," in
"Hours of Idleness."

[2] "Speecher"--_i.e._ Speech-Day. At Harrow "er" is a favourite
termination of many substantives. "Harder," for hard-bal