notice of him,
and when his eyes met Louis', they bore no more consciousness of his
presence than if he had been a piece of stone. Frank Digby did not
tease Louis, but he let fall many insinuations, and a few remarks so
bitter in their sarcasm, that Reginald more than once looked up with
a glance so threatening in its fierceness, that it checked even that
audacious speaker. Even little Alfred was not allowed to sit with Louis;
though Hamilton made no remark, nor even alluded to the subject to his
brother, he called him immediately to himself, and only allowed him to
leave him at bed-time.

As the elder boys went up stairs to bed, Frank continued his aggravating
allusions to Louis' weakness, but in so covert a manner, that no one but
those acquainted with Louis' former history could have understood their
import. For some time Reginald pretended not to hear them; there was a
strong struggle within him, for his high spirit rose indignantly at his
cousin's unkindness, yet was for some time checked by a better feeling
within; but, at length, on Frank's making some peculiarly insulting
remark in a low tone, his pent-up ire boiled forth, and, in the madness
of his fury, he seized on his cousin with a strength that passion
rendered irresistible. "You've tried to provoke me to this all the
evening--you _will_ have it, you dastardly coward! you WILL have
it, will you?"

These exclamations were poured forth in a shout, and Reginald, after
striking his cousin several violent blows, threw him from him with such
force that his head struck against the door-post, and he fell motionless
to the ground, the blood streaming from a wound in his forehead.

There was an awful silence for a minute. The boys, horror-struck, stood
as if paralyzed, gazing on the inanimate form of their school-fellow.
Reginald's passion subsided in an instant; his face turned pale, the
color fled from his lips, and clasping his hands in terror, he muttered,
"Oh! what have I done!" and then there was a shout, "Oh, Frank Digby's
killed! Digby's killed--he's dead!"

Hamilton at length pushed forward and raised Frank's head. And at this
moment Mr. Norton and Dr. Wilkinson, with two or three of the servants,
came from different directions. The crowd round Frank made way for the
doctor, who hurriedly approached, and assisted Hamilton to raise Frank
and carry him to his bed.

"He's dead, he's dead!" cried the boys all round.

"How did this happen?" asked the doct