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angle of the wall, I plied him with mouthful after mouthful of my valuable remedy. By-and-by he was reduced by my exertions to such a pitch that it was simply impossible for him to expend his breath upon anything but his consuming powers.

Backwards and forwards, from table to door, I ran three times, my care being rewarded by a gradual return of serenity to his storm-stained countenance.

"I wish I could get some more cake for you, but my goodies are all gone, and Anne can't spare me any more than this little bit," I said, placing the last morsel between his lips.

"It wouldn't have happened, at all, if you'd had your goodies now," replied Harry, smiling at this implication upon Rogers' character.

"Did she hurt you very much?" I asked, with tender anxiety, now that he had regained the use of his tongue. Hitherto, I had been only able to testify my sympathy by stuffing food down his throat,-seldom a bad way of reaching a boy's heart though, after all!

"Yes, it did sting, but not so badly as some that I've had. I always sing out loud, now, as though it hurt most awfully: then she hasn't the heart to hit so hard, you know!" and this time, Harry had so far recovered his usual spirits as to laugh outright.

"But Rogers didn't use to hate you so, before I came, did he?"

"We never cared for each other much. It was my punching him before all the fellows, that day when he turned you out of the swing, that makes him so savage with me. You see, he didn't lick me for it at first, because of your goodies; and it's too long ago, now, to do it openly. But he has never forgiven me, for all that. And that's why he was so glad to get me popped just now. It's the first bad row I've been in, this half."

"I do hate myself so!" I exclaimed, bitterly. If I hadn't come, you wouldn't have been popped."

In all childish sincerity and good faith I said it, and as such he took it.

"If you had not come," he answered, warmly, rising as he spoke, and putting his arm lovingly round my neck, "I should never have known the very kindest, jolliest, little brick in the whole world!"

"You had better be off, now," said Anne, coming out of the kitchen, with a piled-up plate in each hand. "I'm going to ring the tea-bell, and they'll all be in here in half a jiffey." With which graceful remark, she disappeared into the dining-room.

CHAPTER IV.

LOLLIPOPS AND MYSTERIES.

"WOULD you like to go down into the village with me this afternoon ?" Miss Royce asked, one day, as I was passing through the hall, on my way to join the game going on in the playground.

"Oh yes, please, that I should!"

"Very well, and who shall go with us?"

I hung my head for a moment, fidgetting with the button on my Scotch cap.

Then, looking up, I answered in a quick dissyllable"Rogers."

"Rogers?" exclaimed Miss Royce, in a tone of surprise, and, I thought, disappointment too.

"Yes," I answered, shyly, my cheeks turning a brilliant scarlet, "I know he wants to buy some reins, and I expect he'd like to choose them himself."

"Then you can run and tell him that he may go. You must both be ready to start in ten minutes, mind."

As I entered the playground, Harry Morland ran eagerly towards me.

"Here you are at last!" cried he, impatiently. "Mat Davis and I have been waiting for you ever so long; we began to think you were never coming. Come along to

our garden :-we've been making such a stunning little rockery."

"No. I can't, now. I'm going out with Miss Royce." "You are? Where? Into the village ?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll run in, and ask if I may go too. sure to let me."

She's quite

Without waiting to hear my reply, he suddenly shouted, in a loud, clear treble, "Here, you fellows! we're going into the village with Miss Royce. Who wants to have any sweets bought?"

There was a general rush towards us at once. On Saturday afternoon, it was a long-established custom for any one going into Brookford to be commissioned with many sundry purchases at the confectioner's, greengrocer's, and various other shops of an attractive nature.

"Who's going?" breathlessly inquired the Scamp, who had, as usual, arrived at the head of the van, though he had had the longest distance to traverse of any one.

"Miss Royce and I,-and Rogers, if he likes," I answered, timidly glancing at this latter.

"My eye! how jolly! You don't mean that, young 'un? You had better not try it on, though, if you're only fooling!"

"No, indeed. I asked her myself," I said quickly, colouring with pleasure at having been at last successful in gaining his favour, though in never so slight a degree.

"You asked if I might go? Then I won't! What business had a squit like you to go begging favours for me? If Miss Royce cares for the company of babies, who cry for their mammies when they come to school, she's at liberty to do so. For my part, I don't. But I suppose petticoats always do prefer each other's society-kind of 'birds of a feather flocking together.' And Miss Royce always was fond of little sneaking saints like you!"

As he finished, he turned on his heel and walked away.

From long use, I had grown to care less for his unkind speeches than I did formerly; but as I listened to his angry words now, the flush of anticipation deepened into a hot glow of shame and mortification.

His outburst had silenced the clamour of the other boys for a brief minute, but now their voices swelled out again in louder chorus,

"Never you mind him! He's only jealous, because he knows you're such a favourite."

"Here, Bernie, you bring me home a penn'orth of toffy." "An ounce of sugar-candy for me."

"Liquorice for me, and Bath-pipe for Willie Robson :-mind you don't forget."

"Get me a skein of scarlet braid, for reins, you know. They must be scarlet, because Bill Knowles' are green, and we're going to use them together."

"And I want some squashed dates from Roberts',-mind you get them there, Brown's are not half as good."

Harry Morland had gone off in the sulks, after upbraiding me for my unfriendly conduct, as he considered it, and had carried Mat Davis with him.

So matters were beginning to look dismal, when Willie Knowles pushed forward, exclaiming, in a loud voice intended for Rogers' benefit,

"I'll ask if I may go with you, instead of Rogers-I'm not too proud to walk with you, thank goodness! Come along, or we shall be too late. And you fellows who want sweets and things must come down to the schoolroom, and I'll stick it all down on paper; or else we shall be bringing home ginger-root instead of Bath-pipe, and packets of blacking for butter-scotch, and all that sort of thing!"

So saying, he seized my hand and raced away to the house. But the Scamp had no intention to be outdone, and in

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