By a strange piece of good fortune, Sam's wet clothes were not observed in the general confusion attending our entrance into the house. As soon as the garden gate swung back with a sharp "click" behind us, and the crunching of the gravel sounded crisp beneath our feet, the hall-door was thrown wide open, and Mrs. Royce's dark-robed figure stood out in bold relief against the bright light at her back. Shading her eyes with her hand, she peered anxiously out into the night.

"Jenny Jenny! Is that you ?"

"Yes, Mother-here we are-all safe and sound !”

How pleasant and cheery her voice sounded! and to the mother's anxious ears it must have sounded sweet and comforting, indeed; for she had evidently been in an agitated frame of mind for the past half-hour, such as nothing could allay, save the certain knowledge of the truth, whether the news were good or bad.

She came out to meet us, as we stepped forth into the flood of light streaming through the open doorway, saying, earnestly,

"Are they all here? What kept them? Has anything happened amiss ?"

Then, before Miss Royce could answer, she continued hurriedly, as she caught sight of me,

"What is the matter with him? Tell me, child, is he badly hurt ?"

"No, no, Mother.

every one of them.

Don't be alarmed. They are all right,

I am only carrying Bernie, because he is tired and frightened, poor boy!"

"Frightened? What at? Why don't you tell me?"

Seeing that her mother was still in so nervous a state of alarm, I heard Miss Royce whisper, hastily, as she set me gently down upon my feet,—

"They have seen 'Springall Jack,' or so they say; but I will tell you all I know about it presently, we must get them away to bed, at once, now."

Sam had slipped quietly past Mrs. Royce, and had gone straight off to the shoe-cupboard, and by the time we entered the hall, was busily engaged in pulling off his dirty boots, with his back carefully turned upon us and the light.

However, he need not have feared detection just then, for, for the next few minutes, everything was hurry and excitement. Miss Baxter came running downstairs, to assure herself that we had all been brought home safe and uninjured; whilst over the balusters peered certain rough-haired heads, whose owners' throats were encircled by those broad, white, bandage-like collars, happily peculiar only to the nocturnal attire of the British juvenile,-telling plainly that order for once was banished from the upstairs regions, and unrestrained freedom of action reigning in its stead.

One or two white-robed forms stole stealthily to the foot of the steps, and keeping well within the shadows falling there, maintained so excellent a vantage-ground, until the approach of the enemy compelled them to flee once more to higher quarters.

As I sat on the ground, tugging manfully at my boot, my

heart still palpitating violently from its recent agitation, the array of toes, legs, arms, and heads, protruding through, and over, the dimly lighted staircase in the distance, made me forget my still undried tears, in a quiet chuckle of unrestrained amusement at so odd a sight.

The "Betties," too-as they were popularly styled-were hovering round the kitchen doorway, Anne vainly trying to induce John to make his replies keep pace with her numerous questions; whilst Ellen busily offered her services to every one at once, pulling off an obstinate boot here, hanging up a cap there, and assisting at the hand-washing, at about the "one down, another come on" rate of doing things.

Sam's clothes, having been so thoroughly dowsed from head to foot, were, luckily, the same tint all over, save for the dark part below the knees, where the mud still clung-but even this, by lamplight, did not show so much as we had feared.

He and Mat slept at this time in a different dormitory to the one in which Harry and I were placed; so just as we two were turning off to our room, I felt my arm suddenly grasped, and pulling me back, he whispered in my ear,—

"Mind you and Harry keep it all dark about my getting into the water. I shall get up and brush my breeches in the morning, before any of them are about. Then She need never know anything about it; for, you see, all this about Springall Jack will drive everything else out of every one's head; and John will never sneak about my boots, if I get him to promise not to."

"All right," I answered, hastily drawing my arm away. "Good night."

And away I sped after Harry and Miss Royce. In my present nervous condition, I dreaded to have to run through even a few yards of the dark corridor, alone.

It was long that night ere the strain upon my nerves relaxed enough to allow me to fall into a troubled slumber; from

G

which I awoke every now and again, with a start, or a halfuttered shout, as in my dreams I passed once more through the scenes of the last few hours, their various stirring events mixed confusedly together, and contorted into forms even more alarming than the reality, and scarcely less intensely vivid.

In spite of the Scamp's precaution, the whole story of our adventures came out the next day under Mrs. Royce's close investigation.

Very gravely did she talk to us, as soon as the recital was ended; pointing out to us how blameable our conduct had really been, and assuring us how true it had proved in this case, that disobedience brings its own punishment, often when least expected. To her, it seemed, she said, a special Providence, which had left Hero-apparently by the merest accident -to be our protector, and possibly the rescuer of Sam from a watery grave.

But for Miss Royce's intercession, we should all-particularly the Scamp-have doubtless come in for a dose of the severe sentence which we had been expecting and dreading all the morning.

So eloquently did she plead our cause, however, that her mother was forced to yield to her entreaties, and even to acknowledge that perhaps, after all, we had already suffered sufficient punishment for this first offence; which, moreover, had been one more of thoughtlessness than wilful, intentional, and deliberate commission.

The next day, being Saturday, the usual weekly “tubbing” took place in the evening.

The boys in the playground were finishing up the pleasure of the half-holiday by playing a fine game of "Prisoners' Base," the spirit of which, however, gradually diminished, as, one by one, they had to obey the summons of that inexorable bell, which called them in by turn to take their share in the customary ablutions

At first it did not signify much, for, with one or two exceptions, the departure of the little ones made no perceptible difference to the fun. But by-and-by, when Jack Smedley and Hugh Marshall had to go, the shouts of disappointment grew louder and longer, as the clang of the great bell suddenly cut short some brilliant run, and caused the runner to turn his steps in the direction of the house.

For, while the evening light lasted, and the weather was fine, we were always allowed to stay out of doors until the very last minute before our presence was required within-the only rule being that the call of the bell should be implicitly and immediately obeyed; failing which, the privilege was liable to be withheld from us indefinitely.

This evening it was the Scamp's and my turn to assist at the ceremony within doors, and ever since the first day-when Harry Morland had so glowingly described to me the "sprees" in which he and the Scamp always indulged when engaged together on "tub-nights "--I had looked forward eagerly to the time when we should take our part in the proceedings on the same evening.

But to our mutual disappointment, our hopes were dashed to the ground, just when their fulfilment seemed certain at last; for Mrs. Royce, considering that Sam was still under the ban of her displeasure, would not allow him to undertake, for the present, any office which in any way partook of the nature of a privilege.

So Willie Knowles was called to the post, instead—an arrangement which, after all, pleased me-though in rather a different manner-quite as much as the original one would have done.

Though the weather was still warm, a bright fire burned in the kitchen grate, and on the ground in front of it, with a few feet of drying-room between, stood the great round bath, in which, one by one, we were immersed.