"Oh, no fear," replied Leslie, who loved a joke, "I won't try it until I'm perfectly sure of success, and will then take the whole school in hand."

"Ah, but unless you can swim, my boy, you will have to keep on dry land; the doctor don't like more than one pupil drowned a term, and Jones, here, was very near it the other day," slapping a quiet-looking boy on the back. "If Hall and I had not stood him on his head, to let the water run out of his mouth, and rolled him over and over on the bank, his place in the cla.s.s would have been vacant, and you would have seen all our eyes red with weeping; eh, Jones?"

"That will do Moore," replied Jones; "you must not believe him, you new boy, or he'll cram you with no end of nonsense."

"Nonsense, Jones, nonsense! why, am I not the most sensible boy in the school?"

"Yes, when all the rest of us are away."

"Come, Moore, say no more," broke in Hall, "I have not ended my questioning yet." Then turning to Leslie he said, "Can you swim?"

"Yes, and row too?"

"Where did you learn?"

"Oh, my home is by the sea-sh.o.r.e,--an old sailor taught me."

"Well, come and have a row now, and let's see who's the best man. I never have rowed on salt water."

"You are sure to beat me," said Leslie, "you are so much older than I am. But will there be time before dinner?"

"Plenty; besides, the exercise will sharpen your teeth, and they'll need it to-day, for Fridays are boiled beef days."

"But I am to dine with my father at the doctor's table."

"Oh, then, you are all right, come along."

Away the boys bounded, as only school-boys can, shouting and laughing, and playing off harmless practical jokes upon each other. They soon reached that part of the river where the boats were hauled up on the bank.

"Who will lend Ross a boat?" inquired Hall, as he stepped into his, and began preparing for the race.

"I will," said Moore; "here, jump in, youngster, and let's see what you're made of."

Leslie seated himself in the boat which Moore pushed into the stream.

"You see that solitary tree about a quarter of a mile farther on?

well, that's the winning post," said Moore; "now then, all ready? one, two, three, off."

Away the boats flew. Leslie found he had all his work cut out to beat Hall, who, if not so skilful as himself in the use of the oars, was much older and stronger. The other boys ran along the bank shouting and waving their caps by way of encouragement. The two boats for a third of the way kept even pace, then Hall's gradually forged a-head, and, try all he could, Leslie was unable to regain the lost s.p.a.ce, so that, when the winning post was reached, Hall won by quite a boat's length.

"Come," said Hall, as he stepped out of his boat on their return, and gently patted Leslie on the shoulder, "come, I think you and I are likely to be good friends."

Leslie thought so too, although he felt a little hurt at having been beaten.

In the doctor's dining-room Leslie was introduced to Mrs Price, who gave him a very kindly welcome, and when he looked up into her pleasant face, he thought he should be sure to like her, and hoped that he would have many opportunities of being in her company; but when Leslie was introduced to the doctor's little daughter, a year younger than himself, he was quite charmed, and decided in his own mind that the world could not possess a prettier creature than Maud Price.

Leslie had not been much accustomed to the society of girls, and in consequence felt quite bashful when he found himself seated next to her at table; but her quiet, easy, and graceful manner speedily put him at his ease; and during the progress of dinner he could not refrain from stealing a few glances at her face and eyes. The little lady, however, was very quiet, and, until dessert was placed on the table, said not a word, when, lifting up her eyes to his face, she said,--

"Have you come to be a school-boy?"

"Yes, and this is my first school."

"I'm so sorry, because school-boys are so noisy and troublesome; I can't bear school-boys."

"But perhaps I may turn out different," said Leslie, scarcely knowing what to say in reply to the decided expression of the young lady.

"Well, perhaps so, but I have not much hope."

"Suppose I try to keep as I am now for your sake?"

"Ah, that would be nice, then I would ask mamma to invite you into the parlour sometimes."

"An inducement," said Leslie, with a smile.

The time sped rapidly on, and the hour approached when Mr Ross was compelled to leave, and, taking his son into the garden, he there bade him farewell, saying, "Good-bye, my boy, mind and write home to let us know how you get on; if I may judge from what I have seen of the school, you will be comfortable here."

"Yes, papa, as comfortable as I can be away from home."

And Leslie thought so again, as at night he knelt down by his bedside, to repeat his evening prayer.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER III.

PEA-SHOOTING AND WHAT CAME OF IT.

Leslie soon made himself at home with the boys, more especially those of his own age or two or three years his senior; the elders of the school, those who had discarded jackets and sported tailed-coats, he looked at from a distance, and viewed with a certain amount of awe, thinking he should never attain to their size or standing in the school; and although these superfine gentlemen always gave him a friendly nod when they chanced to meet, or employed him in running an errand, he never presumed to be familiar with one of them. There were also several boys in the school about Leslie's own age, with whom he did not care to a.s.sociate, whose dispositions, ways of thinking, and ordinary pursuits, were quite opposed to his own. But with Arthur Hall, Johnnie Lynch, Jones, and Moore, he was soon a close and firm friend. He was very pleased to find that he was to occupy the same bedroom as that of his friends.

The doctor, Leslie found to be a very kind but very firm master; while he made every allowance for a boy's incapacity or sheer inability to learn a particular task, he showed no mercy to those who could learn and would not, either from idleness or inattention. There were three other masters beside the doctor, who followed in the steps of their princ.i.p.al.

Mrs Price extended many acts of kindness towards Leslie, for his father's sake at first, but after she knew him better, for his own, so that Leslie wrote home glowing accounts of the pleasures of school life; his races on the river, the long country walks with the doctor, and the tales told in bed.

During his first month, everything was too fresh, pleasant, and exciting, for Leslie even to think about having "_a lark_;" but in the first week of his second month he gave evident proof that this fault had not disappeared from, or been overcome in his character. He forgot the promise he had made to his papa, or the nearly fatal results of his last "lark;" he forgot all about the many good resolutions he had made in his own heart; all which led him into fresh trouble.

Near to Ascot House was a small market-town, which the boys were allowed to visit during play hours and on half-holidays; but after dusk no one was permitted to be absent from the playground, and after the names were read over for the evening, without special leave, no one could absent himself from the school-house; this rule was rigorously enforced by the doctor.

The market-town consisted mainly of three streets in the form of a triangle; but on the outskirts of the town were long rows of cottages, princ.i.p.ally tenanted by farm-labourers and working-men. The outer door of each of these cottages opened into the sitting-room without any pa.s.sage intervening, so that any boy so disposed, by placing one eye at the keyhole, could see all the inmates of the room. Leslie had observed this during his various visits to the town.

One evening, after each name had been called over and answered to, and the boys were preparing lessons for the next day, Leslie shut up his books with a bang, saying to Johnnie Lynch, who sat next to him, "There, those are done; now, what shall I do?"

"One moment, Ross, and I shall be finished, then we'll both do something."

A minute or two after, Lynch put his books into the desk, saying, "Now, Ross, what is it to be?"

"Follow me, Lynch, and I will show you; mind Wilson don't see you, or he'll want to know where we are going."