for himself, may I not?" said Louis.

"Yes; but, Louis, you have not time--and he is so stupid,"
replied Reginald; "you won't have time to do your own."

But Louis thought he should have time for both, and, putting his arm
round Alfred, he kindly and patiently set him in the way of doing his
lesson properly, and then resumed his own disturbed studies.

Hardly, however, was he settled than he found himself listening to Frank,
who remarked, as Alfred left the room, "We shall be sure to have 'Oars'
in soon!"

"Who do you mean by Oars?" asked Louis.

"Churchill," said Reginald, laughing.

"What an extraordinary name!" said Louis.

"I say, Digby," cried a boy from the opposite side of the table,
"they give you the credit of that cognomen--but we are all in the
dark as to its origin."

"Like the origin of all truly great," answered Frank, "it was very
simple: Churchill came one day to me with his usual 'Do tell us a bit,
that's a good fellow,' and after he had badgered me some minutes,
I asked him if he had not the smallest idea of his lesson--so, after
looking at it another minute, he begins thus, '_Omnes_, all.' 'Bravo!'
replied I. '_Conticuere_--What's that, Frank?' 'Were silent,' I answered:
'Go on.' After deep cogitation, and sundry hints, he discovered that
_tenebant_ must have some remote relationship to a verb signifying
to hold fast, and forthwith a bright thought strikes him, and on we go:
'_Intentique ora tenebant_--and intently they hold their oars,' he said,
exultingly. 'Very well,' quoth I, approvingly, and continued for him,
'_Inde toro pater_--the waters flowed glibly farther on, _ab alto_--to
the music of the spheres; the inseparable Castor and Pollux looking
down benignantly on their namesake below.' Here I was stopped by the
innocent youth's remark, that I certainly was quizzing, for he knew
that Castor and Pollux were the same in Latin as in English. Whereupon,
I demanded, with profound gravity, whether _gemini_ did not mean
twins, and if the twins were not Castor and Pollux--and if he knew
(who knew so much better than I) whether or no there might not be some
word in the Latin language, besides _gemini_, signifying twins; and
that if it was his opinion that I was quizzing, he had better do his
lesson himself. He looked hard, and, thinking I was offended, begged
pardon; and believing that _jubes_ was Castor and Pollux, we
got on quite famously--and he was quite reassured when we turned
from the