he dropped off to sleep, and what she would say when she found
that we had not been home, I became aware of a low dull guttural sound,
which told me that Esau had dropped off, and was sleeping soundly.

But I could not follow his example for thinking. What would Mr John
say? What would Mrs John think? They would set me down as a reckless
lad with a savage temper, and if we were punished they would never know
the truth. Then another idea, one which made me shiver, occurred to me;
the whole account would be in the newspapers, given as Police
Intelligence, and that completely baffled all my attempts to sleep.

It was a very quiet night at the station. I heard doors opened and
closed twice over, with a good deal of talking; and once while I was
thinking most deeply, I started and stared curiously at a bright blaze
of light, beyond which I could not see; but I felt that a constable had
that light in his hand, and that he had come to see if we were asleep.

I had not heard the door open, I suppose I was thinking too deeply; but
I heard it shut again, and heavy steps in the long stone passage
outside. Then I began thinking again intently, full of remorse for what
I had done, and how soon it would be morning; and then I began to envy
Esau, who could sleep so soundly in spite of our position.

I remember it all--the trampling of feet outside, the dull muttering of
voices, and the curious guttural sound Esau made as he slept, one that I
was often to hear in years to come; and I sat there with my head resting
in a corner, envying him, and wishing that I too could forget. And over
and over again came the events of the past day--the struggle in the
office, and the savage, malicious look of Mr Dempster as he struck me.

Weary, aching, and with my head throbbing, I sat and wondered now at my
daring; and then came all kinds of mental questions as to the amount of
punishment I, a poor boy, would receive.

All at once, as these miserable thoughts kept on repeating themselves in
a strange, feverish way, that was somehow connected with a throbbing,
smarting sensation in one ear, Mr Dempster seemed to have raised me by
the arm once more, and to begin shaking me roughly--so vigorously that I
made a desperate effort to escape, when he cried--

"Steady, steady! You're all right. Come, rouse up and have a wash, my
lad. It's nearly eight. Ready for some coffee and bread and butter?"

I looked up in the dim light to see the big,