leads to the Doctor's library suddenly opens, and he steps into the
close, and makes straight for the ring, in which Brown and the Slogger
are both seated on their seconds' knees for the last time.

"The Doctor! the Doctor!" shouts some small boy who catches sight of
him, and the ring melts away in a few seconds, the small boys tearing
off, Tom collaring his jacket and waistcoat, and slipping through the
little gate by the chapel, and round the corner to Harrowell's with his
backers, as lively as need be; Williams and his backers making off not
quite so fast across the close; Groove, Rattle, and the other bigger
fellows trying to combine dignity and prudence in a comical manner, and
walking off fast enough, they hope, not to be recognised, and not fast
enough to look like running away.

Young Brooke alone remains on the ground by the time the Doctor gets
there, and touches his hat, not without a slight inward qualm.

[Illustration: THE DOCTOR'S COUNSEL TO YOUNG BROOKE. P. 290.]

"Hah! Brooke. I am surprised to see you here. Don't you know that I
expect the sixth to stop fighting?"

Brooke felt much more uncomfortable than he had expected, but he was
rather a favourite with the Doctor for his openness and plainness of
speech; so blurted out, as he walked by the Doctor's side, who had
already turned back--

"Yes, sir, generally. But I thought you wished us to exercise a
discretion in the matter too--not to interfere too soon."

"But they have been fighting this half-hour and more," said the Doctor.

"Yes, sir; but neither was hurt. And they're the sort of boys who'll be
all the better friends now, which they wouldn't have been if they had
been stopped any earlier--before it was so equal."

"Who was fighting with Brown?" said the Doctor.

"Williams, sir, of Thompson's. He is bigger than Brown, and had the best
of it at first, but not when you came up, sir. There's a good deal of
jealousy between our house and Thompson's, and there would have been
more fights if this hadn't been let go on, or if either of them had had
much the worst of it."

"Well but, Brooke," said the Doctor, "doesn't this look a little as if
you exercised your discretion by only stopping a fight when the
School-house boy is getting the worst of it?"

Brooke, it must be confessed, felt rather gravelled.

"Remember," added the Doctor, as he stopped at the turret-door, "this
fight is not to go on--you'll see to that. And I expect you to stop a