risk of
disgrace, the new schemes to which he had just been listening.

The boys stayed in the playground till the dinner-bell rang, which
was a few minutes after they had entered the playground; but these
few minutes sufficed for Louis, in his present humor, to get himself
in a scrape, the consequences of which, at the time, he certainly did
not contemplate. He had been complaining to Casson, in the beginning
of their walk, that he could not get "Rollin's History," and, as Casson
persisted that it was in the study, Louis took him there to show him
his error, when they returned home.

"Ha, ha! Mr. Louis Mortimer, who's right?" cried Casson,
holding up the book.

"That can't be; I wonder how it got there," said Louis,
approaching the table in a mystified manner. "These must
be Trevannion's things, I suppose; only Hamilton was writing
here; and here is his dictionary,--I wonder what he wanted
with it--he never said he had it--he let me suppose Trevannion
had it--kind of him--I suppose he wanted to prevent my getting
it; but I'll have it now--he's got one of his own."

"I'd be even with him," said Casson; "what a heap of things! See,
here's an exercise of his; or a letter, I suppose--it's too neat
for an exercise. A good thick letter--sealed, too. I'll tell you
what, Louis--"

Accordingly, what Casson did tell Louis was, what a "capital dodge"
it would be to abstract Hamilton's sealed packet, and to leave another
folded like it in its place.

"We often used to trick the boys at old Stennett's with their
exercises," continued he; "they never wrote in books there--we
used to tear the leaves out of the exercise-books, and write on
them. It was such jolly fun to see them open the paper and find
nothing in it, or only some rubbish."

"How did you do it?" asked Louis.

"Oh, we doubled up a bit of an old exercise-book, and exchanged, that's
all!" replied Casson; "see, why here's half a sheet of paper, that'll
do for the cover; and now then, Louis, more paper--he'll never miss
it--that's it--fold it up just the size; how beautifully you have
done it!"

"But there's no seal," said Louis.

"He'll forget he sealed it," replied Casson; "oh, how jolly!--here's
a piece of sealing-wax--it is sealed with the top of a pencil-case."

"I have one just like that," said Louis; "oh, no; here's E. H. on
this--that won't do, Casson."

Casson presently relieved this difficulty by discovering Hamilton's
pencil-case; and the paper