afterwards, Flip."

Only three competitors were now left--Franklin, Henderson, and Walter--
and they jumped on steadily till they had reached the height of four
feet and one inch, and then Franklin broke down, but recovered himself
in the second chance.

The struggle now became very exciting, and as Franklin and Henderson
again cleared the bar at the height of four feet four, each of them were
loudly clapped. But Walter--who jumped last always, because he had been
the last candidate to come forward--although he cleared it with an easy
bound, received no sign of encouragement from any of the boys. He
cleared it in perfect silence, only broken by Mr Paton, who was looking
on with a group of other masters, and who said encouragingly, "Very well
done, Evson; capital!"

The bar was raised an inch, and again the three boys cleared it, and
again the first two were greeted with applause, and Walter was left
unnoticed except by Power and Kenrick, who applauded him heartily, and
patted him on the back. But indeed their clapping only served to throw
into stronger relief the loud applause which the others received.
Walter almost wished that they would desist. He was greatly agitated;
and his friends saw that he was trembling with emotion. He had been
much mortified the first time to be thus pointedly scorned in so large a
crowd of strangers, and made a marked object of reprobation before them
all; but that this open shame should be thus _steadily_ and
_continuously_ put upon him, made his heart swell with sorrow and
indignation at the ungenerous and unforgiving spirit of his
schoolfellows.

Once more the bar was raised an inch. The other two got over it amid a
burst of applause, and this time Walter, who was unnerved by the painful
circumstances in which he found himself, brushed against it as he came
over, and knocked it off. The bar was replaced, and at his second trial
(for three were allowed) he jumped so well that he flew easily over it.
Always before, a boy who had recovered himself after a failure had been
saluted with double cheering, but again Walter's proceedings were
observed by that large crowd in dead silence, while he could not help
overhearing the whispered queries which asked an explanation of so
unusual a circumstance.

"Why don't they cheer him as well as the others?" asked a fair young
girl of her brother. "He looks such a nice boy."

"Because he did a very shabby thing not long ago," was the repl