of the class, with the exception only of one young gentleman of the name of Marten, whose appearance inspired Henry with a strong desire of becoming further acquainted with him. Between himself and Master Wellings were six boys, not one of whom held his attention for a moment; and to his left were as many as thirty more, some less, some larger than himself, some being pleasing in their appearance, others wholly the reverse, and a third set having that species of countenance which makes no impression whatever on the beholder.

The attention of Henry was presently riveted on one little fellow who stood near the bottom of the circle, and who, at the instant that his eye fell upon him, was stammering out the portion of grammar which had just fallen to his share; the boy appeared to be about nine years of age, and was a handsome child, though at the moment in which Henry first noticed him, he was trembling from head to foot, under the lowering aspect of his master.

"As usual," said Dr. Matthews, when the little boy came to a dead stand in his grammar, "just as usual; go to the bottom, sir ;" and then adding with a thundering voice, as he called on the usher, Mr. Simson, "There, let little Berresford have bread and water till night, and see that he prepares his repetition for me by this time tomorrow; and mind you, sir," added the schoolmaster, again addressing the boy: "if you are not ready by this time to-morrow, that a more severe punishment shall be no longer deferred."

Henry looked with a compassionate eye on the little child; he was precisely the height of Maurice, and Henry felt his heart drawn to him: but while he was meditating certain little acts of kindness, which he hoped to be able to perform towards this little boy, and while his breast still glowed with the fresh feelings which sprang within him, the questions were come round again nearly to the place where he stood, and there seemed to be some sort of demur, which made him turn to his right; he then perceived that the tall boy who stood next to him, on that side, was stammering out his grammar in such a way as made the eyes of the doctor to flash and sparkle out, and he began to mutter the word sir, which was always considered as a bad omen.

"At your age, at your age, Mr. Clayton, not to know

your grammar; there is not a boy in the school, not a boy I say, sir, in the school who could not set you right take him up, Milner, take him up."

Henry did not speak, not knowing the meaning of the

term.

"Take him up, sir; do you hear, sir?" said the doctor.

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Henry looked at the great boy, and was wondering how he was to take him up, when some one whispered, Repeat the part he cannot say;" on which Henry immediately repeated the passage without an error, and in consequence stepped into the first class.

"There, sir," said the doctor, "if you can keep that place till dinner-time, you are a first class man; and that, let me tell you, will be more than I expected."

"Sir," said Mr. Simson the usher, who had placed himself behind Henry, "the grammar alone does not afford sufficient opportunity for forming an opinion of Master Milner's scholarship."

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Certainly not, assuredly not," replied the doctor, pompously: "but undoubtedly a good acquaintance with grammar is a great thing, an essential thing, a very essential thing. Nothing can be done without grammar, Mr. Simson: it is the alpha and the omega of all literary success." The doctor then coughed, took a pinch of snuff, and having finished the round of questions which he had begun, dismissed all the boys to their several places, with the exception only of those who formed the first class, in which number Henry found himself included.

Virgil was the next book that was called for: a copy of which being placed in the hands of Henry, the boys began to read and scan in regular succession: the master blamed or approved each one as he proceeded; but when Henry began to read, the doctor on one side, and Mr. Simson on the other, kept continually crying out, "Mind your prosody, Milner; you make false quantities -your quantities are wrong, sir; mind what you are about there." And when Henry had finished the number of lines required of him, the doctor, looking at Mr. Simson, exclaimed, "I never knew a boy, educated at home, who could read a single Latin verse with correct

ness.

Henry was prepared to be found fault with, and therefore he heard all this with composure; and though the idea crossed him that his master and the usher were

resolved to be displeased with something about him, not from any personal dislike to himself, but from the prejudices they entertained respecting a private education, yet he remained tranquil, and prepared himself to give his whole attention to construe the passage which he had scanned, and which he expected would fall to his lot. Accordingly, when his turn came, he did himself, or rather his tutor, much credit; and being asked some questions relative to the kings of Latium, some of whom were mentioned in the verses he was construing, he replied so much to the purpose, that even the doctor's face relaxed, Mr. Simson returned to his desk, and he was without further hesitation set down as a member of the first class: an honour to which he had not dared to aspire, even in thought. The clock at that moment striking twelve, the school broke up, and all the boys rushed out into the court, where Henry was immediately accosted by Master Wellings; who, holding out one finger to him, and nodding familiarly, said, "Well, Milner, how are you? I give you joy on your arrival at Clent Green: how did you leave old Squaretoes and your friend Thomas ?"

Henry had it on the very tip of his tongue to say, And why don't you inquire also after your friend the bull, Master Wellings? but he restrained himself, and giving the young gentleman a civil though very short reply, was turning from him, when young Marten approached them, and said, "Wellings, you know Milner; come play the part you are so well fitted for, of the master of the ceremonies, in all matters of politeness; introduce, I say, introduce the young gentleman to his new companions, and do not leave me to the awkward alternative of telling him who I am, and how proud I shall be of his friendship."

While Marten was speaking, Wellings had drawn off; on which Henry, pleased with the lively yet polite manner of the young gentleman, extended his hand to him, shook it heartily, and said, "Sir, I shall be most happy to be honoured by your friendship."

"My name is John Marten," replied the other, "commonly called the Exquisite among the heroes of Clent Green, for we have all some nom-de-guerre in this our noble establishment; and I must expect, my dear Henry, that you will henceforward call me by my surname, and use all familiarity with me, as with an elder brother." So saying, he proposed to accompany him to the green,

"where," said he, "I will point out to you our prescribed bounds, and the limits which the higher powers have appointed to our excursions."

Henry then, being under the wing of Marten, proceeded through the gates, and presently found himself hustled in a crowd of the younger members of the school.

"Stand off, you little blackguards," said Marten, who had no small share of pride in his composition, and who certainly would not have come forward with so decided an air of kindness towards Henry, had it not been that he had detected the air of a gentlemanly education under the simple and unpresuming manner of the young stranger; "stand back, you little vagabonds, and let your betters pass."

"Vagabonds!" said a rough voice a little behind them; "who is that who talks of vagabonds, and cries make way with so much authority?"

It was evident that young Marten heard these words, for a slight flush rose in his cheeks; but he walked quietly on with Henry, only uttering the word “ Pshaw !” and adding, "what fools these great boys are."

Henry made no remark on these words of his companion; for he had made up his mind, with the Divine blessing, to make as few remarks as he possibly could on all that was passing about him; or, in other words, to keep his thoughts to himself. He therefore began to question his companion about the rules of the school, when again the same voice was heard, close to his ear, uttering words to this effect:-" Master Henry Mawkin did you say, Wellings ?"-"No," replied the person spoken to; "not Master Henry Mawkin, but Miss Molly Mawkin, the pretty Miss Molly."

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Wellings," said Marten, turning sharply round, “it is very astonishing that you, a gentleman's son, as I believe you are, cannot yet discern the difference between vulgarity and wit. As to Roger Clayton, I know him to be an incorrigible blackguard; but I certainly hoped better things of you."

"What's that you call me?" said Roger Clayton, whom Henry then knew to be the boy whose place he had taken in the class, "what's that you call me, Marten? let me tell you, sir, that if you take such liberties with my name I'll make you pay for them, as sure as my name is Clayton."

"In what coin, sir?" returned Marten, with imper

turbable coolness, at the same time turning round and measuring the great boy with his eye from head to foot.

Roger was going to reply, and Henry was prepared to hear some expression which would have led to further irritation, when another first-class boy, stepping in, said something in a rough way towards a reconciliation; on which the two champions, who had tried each other's strength on various occasions aforetimes, turned away from each other with such glances of scorn and defiance as promised a renewal of the contest whenever circumstances might tend that way.

In the mean time the boys were all scattered over the common, or engaged in groups of five or six at different sorts of games. One alone did not mingle with the rest, and this was little George Berresford, who sat upon a stone, with his grammar on his knee, now and then looking sorrowfully at his book, and again gazing vacantly round on the sports of his school-fellows. Marten and Henry had sauntered up to the place where the little boy sat, and Marten began to tease him, by conveying away his book, when his eyes, which too often wandered, were turned from it, and then pretending to say he had not got it.

"Now don't take my book, Marten; now please don't," said little George: "here, I have all this to say before dinner, and if you take my book I sha'n't have any dinner."

“Well, then, take your book," said Marten, poking it carelessly at him, and at the same time obeying the signal of Mr. Perkins, the boyish-faced usher, of whom mention was before made, who beckoned to him to join him beyond the Rubicon, as the boys called the line by which their boundaries were encompassed.

In the mean time Henry, being left with little Berresford, sat down by him, and set himself with his whole heart to make him learn his lesson, hearing him repeat it over and over again, and proving him in each passage wherein he found him to falter. The gratitude of the little boy on the occasion was not to be expressed; his eyes became bright, his cheeks glowed, and he was ready to kiss the very ground which Henry trod upon.

When Henry thought that the lesson was learned, he sent the boy to Mr. Simson to say it, and the dinner-bell ringing soon afterward, the boys all rushed back into the court; and Henry, feeling some one pull his coat, turned