it happened, but there'll be a jolly row about it
to-morrow, I know.'

'I hope Horace had nothing to do with it,' said Fred.

'Oh, didn't he, though! Three boys would soon have been dead if he
hadn't gone in. That's how he got hurt. You can go and see him, my
father says, only you mustn't talk much.'

Fred was not long getting his tea; he was too anxious to go and hear
more of what had happened to his brother, but he took care to wash
himself and change his working clothes before presenting himself at
the master's house.

He found Horace in bed, with both hands bandaged and looking very
pale. He was able to tell him what had happened, but begged him not to
say a word about it to his mother, as he felt sure he should be quite
well in the morning. Fred hardly knew what to do, but at length agreed
not to say a word about it when he wrote to his mother. When he had
nearly reached his own home, he saw a boy waiting near the gate, and
he said, 'Are you Howard's brother?'

'Yes. Who are you?' asked Fred.

'My name is Morrison, and I want to know if you think he will get well
again.'

'I hope so. But why are you so anxious about it? Do you know how it
happened?'

Leonard nodded.

'I know a bit,' said the boy sheepishly, 'and I wondered whether I'd
better tell my father.'

'Yes, yes--tell him by all means,' said Fred eagerly. 'Come in a
minute, and if you like I will go home with you and break the ice.
I've always been in the habit of telling my mother when I got into a
scrape; but it made it a bit easier if Horace told her something
about it first, so I know how you feel about telling your father.'

'We didn't mean to hurt the fellows, you know,' said Leonard eagerly,
as he went into the little sitting-room. 'We didn't mean to hurt
anybody; only make a jolly stink in the "lab.," and get somebody into
a row.'

He did not say who the 'somebody' was, and Fred did not ask him. They
went away together, and walked almost in silence, for Fred did not
like to press the boy to tell him any more. It was a long walk round
to Leonard's home, but Fred did not mind; and if the doctor had got
back he might hear of his mother, and something of what had happened
since she had been gone, for he had not had a letter from her, as he
had expected.

When they got to the doctor's house, and Fred asked to see him, the
servant said he had only just come home, and she was not sure that he
could see anybody.

'I think he will see me