th his head erect, but his
nearly-closed eyes fixed upon the ground.

"But there's no one to fight with here?"

"Yes--Pete Warboys."

"Bless my heart!" exclaimed the Vicar, laying his hand upon the boy's
shoulder. "But tell me, did he assault you?"

"I suppose so, sir."

"But--er--er--did you hit him back?"

"Oh yes, sir," said Tom, with more animation now; "we had a regular
set-to."

The Vicar coughed, and keeping his hand upon his companion's shoulder,
he walked on by his side in silence for a few minutes. Then, after
another cough--

"Of, course I cannot approve of fighting, Tom; but--er--he beat you
then--well?"

"Oh no, sir," said Tom, flushing a little. "I beat. He lay down at
last and cried."

"Humph!" ejaculated the Vicar. "Tell me how it began."

With wonderful clearness Tom related the whole adventure, and growing
more animated as he went on, he finished by saying--

"It all came out of what you said, sir. I thought if Pete had some good
in him, I'd try and help bring it out by being a little friendly; but I
regularly failed, and uncle will be horribly cross with me for getting
in such a state."

"Nothing of the kind," said the Vicar decisively. "I know your uncle
better than you do, sir, and I can answer for what he will say. But you
see, Tom, I was quite right about the lad."

"No, sir, I don't," replied Tom sharply. "Look at my face and hands."

"Oh yes, they do show wounds of the warpath, Tom; but they were received
in a grand cause. I knew there was good in the lad, and you have done a
deal to bring it out."

"I don't see much good yet, sir," said Tom, rather sulkily, for he was
in a great deal of pain.

"Perhaps not," said the Vicar, "but I do. It seems to me that by
accident you have gone the right way to work to make a change in Pete
Warboys. You have evidently made him respect you, by showing him that
you were the better man."

By this time they were getting pretty close to Heatherleigh, and the
Vicar gave Tom's arm a grip.

"I'm afraid I shall not see you at church next Sunday, Tom," he said,
with a smile.

"Are you going to be away, sir?" said Tom wonderingly.

"No: but you are."

"I?" cried the boy. "Why?"

"Go up into your bedroom, have a good bathe at your face, and then look
in the glass. That will tell you why."

The Vicar walked away, and Tom slipped in quietly without being seen,
hurried up to his room, and reversed the advice he had received; f