o ground or stay left but Himself, the Rock of Ages,
upon whom alone a sure foundation for every soul of man is laid.

As he wearily laboured at his line, the thought struck him, "It may all
be false, a mere newspaper lie," and he strode up to the recumbent
smoker.

"Let me look at the paper," said he.

"Nothing else in it," answered the other, handing it up to him
listlessly.--"Hullo, Brown! what's the matter, old fellow--ain't you
well?"

"Where is it?" said Tom, turning over the leaves, his hands trembling,
and his eyes swimming, so that he could not read.

"What? What are you looking for?" said his friend, jumping up and
looking over his shoulder.

"That--about Arnold," said Tom.

"Oh, here," said the other, putting his finger on the paragraph. Tom
read it over and over again; there could be no mistake of identity,
though the account was short enough.

"Thank you," said he at last, dropping the paper. "I shall go for a
walk: don't you and Herbert wait supper for me." And away he strode, up
over the moor at the back of the house, to be alone, and master his
grief if possible.

His friend looked after him, sympathising and wondering, and, knocking
the ashes out of his pipe, walked over to Herbert. After a short parley,
they walked together up to the house.

"I'm afraid that confounded newspaper has spoiled Brown's fun for this
trip."

"How odd that he should be so fond of his old master," said Herbert. Yet
they also were both public-school men.

The two, however, notwithstanding Tom's prohibition, waited supper for
him, and had everything ready when he came back some half-an-hour
afterwards. But he could not join in their cheerful talk, and the party
was soon silent, notwithstanding the efforts of all three. One thing
only had Tom resolved, and that was, that he couldn't stay in Scotland
any longer; he felt an irresistible longing to get to Rugby, and then
home, and soon broke it to the others, who had too much tact to oppose.

So by daylight the next morning he was marching through Ross-shire, and
in the evening hit the Caledonian canal, took the next steamer, and
travelled as fast as boat and railway could carry him to the Rugby
Station.

As he walked up to the town, he felt shy and afraid of being seen, and
took the back streets; why, he didn't know, but he followed his
instinct. At the school-gates he made a dead pause; there was not a soul
in the quadrangle--all was lonely, and silent, and sad.