Jack Holyday would much have liked the venture to refuse,
But Master Spink's sharp threat had made him shiver in his shoes.
So having scrambled through the hedge, his pockets he did fill,
But not before he ate enough, himself, to make him ill.

But, as he turned to go away,

The moon-which shone as bright as day;

As bright as when, as stories say,

The boys and girls came out to play

By its bright radiance, did pourtray

His shadow on the wall;

Which when Jack saw he screamed with fright,
And scampered off, with all his might,

To gain, once more, the hall.

And all the time he did not dare to cast a glimpse behind:
For Shakspere says, "Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind:"
In Henry VI., Third Part, Act 5, this maim you will find.

But, in his flight;-oh! dire mishap !—
Jack put his foot in a steel-trap,
Which closed upon him with a snap,
Making him scream with pain:
When a tall man, who kept a watch,
Thieves, gipsies, and the like, to catch,
Over the wall popped up his head,
And, seizing Jack—with fear half dead,
Though he did scream and beg-
From the trap took him, like a mouse,
And bore him to the Doctor's house,

Blood streaming from his leg.

For very

Whatever other bad qualities Jack possessed, he was no coward, but always told the truth; so that Dr. Tingler had no difficulty in finding out the part Master Spink took in this affair, and he resolved to punish that gentleman, seeing that Jack was already suffering his share of punishment. Master Spink was the son of a rich gentleman, and proud and idle, as well as cowardly. He had finer clothes than the other boys, and used to dress himself up in them, and walk about, to be admired by other young people who were not so well off: so that, altogether, he was not a favourite. Dr. Tingler first whipped him, and then bought a ready-made suit of charity-boy's clothes at the shop, which he made him wear for a week. Jack's punishment was confined to a greater severity in the lessons he had to learn, in which he acquitted himself so well, that the Doctor was quite pleased, and declared that, by-and-bye, he would be an excellent boy, in spite of all that had happened.

Shortly after this, the holiday-letter was written, and sent home to his parents: then there was a breaking-up, at which the Doctor stood three bottles of currant wine; and Jack prepared for his journey home.

JACK RETURNS TO HIS PARENTS MUCH IMPROVED.

Ar last the happy day did come,
When Master Jack was sent for home;

He'd no great wish to stop:

And Mrs. Tingler, over-night,

Packed up his books and clothes all right,

With Fenning on the top,

That he at home might study still;
And then she got the Doctor's bill,
For half a year's instructive skill,
Items for dancing, gloves and drill,
Each shoe-string, copy-slip, and quill,
And other things which always fill

A boarding-school account.

And when the carriage came next day,

This time he neither ran away,

Nor kicked their shins, nor roared, nor cried,

Nor in the copper tried to hide,

But joyfully did mount,

And, bidding all the boys good-bye,
Rode off tow'rds home most joyfully.

All left in glee but Master Spink,
Who from the house alone did slink,
Nor wished a soul farewell;

Because the Doctor did declare

That he might seek a school elsewhere.
And, though the sentence gave him pain,
He did not wish him back again,
Because he was the good boy's bane,
And thus did Spink expel;

Who passed his Christmas very sadly,
Because he had behaved so badly.

But Jack he travelled on with glee,
Anxious again his friends to see,

And shew them what he knew:

He thought of home-its dear delights,

New Year, Twelfth Day, and Christmas Nights;

Snow-balls and sliding too.

And since, impatient to arrive, the journey seemed so long, He tried to pass the time away, and sang the well-known song: "And shall I see them all again,

And shall I hear them speak:

I'm downright dizzy with the thought;

In troth, I'm like to greet:

For there's nae luck about the house-there's nae luck at a'There's nae luck about the house when Johnny's awa."