“Well,” said a manly-looking little fellow, whilst the tears stood in his eyes, “I’ll tell my father this, anyhow.  I know he won’t let me come to this school any more.  Here, Jemmy, is a piece of my bread, maybe it will do you good.”

“I couldn’t taste it, Frank dear,” said Jemmy; “God bless you; but I couldn’t taste it.”

“Do,” said Frank; “maybe it will bate back the pain.”

“Don’t ask me, Frank dear,” said Jemmy; “I couldn’t ate it:  I’m hurted inwardly.”

“Bad luck to me!” exclaimed the indignant boy, “if ever my ten toes will darken this school door agin.  By the livin’ farmer, if they ax me at home to do it, I’ll run away to my uncle’s, so I will.  Wait, Jemmy, I’ll be big yit; an’, be the blessed Gospel that’s about my neck, I’ll give the same masther a shirtful of sore bones, the holy an’ blessed minute I’m able to do it.”

Many of the other boys declared that they would acquaint their friends with the master’s cruelty to the poor scholar; but Jemmy requested them not to do so, and said that he was determined to return home the moment he should be able to travel.

The affrighted woman could not prevail upon him to seek a reconciliation with her husband, although the expressions of the other scholars induced her to press him to it, even to entreaty.  Jemmy arose, and with considerable difficulty reached the Curate’s house, found him at home, and, with tears in his eyes, related to him the atrocious conduct of the master.

“Very well,” said this excellent man, “I am glad that I can venture to
ride as far as Colonel B------’s to-morrow.  You must accompany me; for
decidedly such brutality cannot be permitted to go unpunished.”

Jemmy knew that the curate was his friend; and although he would not himself have thought of summoning the master to answer for his barbarity, yet he acquiesced in the curate’s opinion.  He stopped that night in the house of the worthy man to whom Mr. O’Brien had recommended him on his first entering the town.  It appeared in the morning, however, that he was unable to walk; the blows which he had received were then felt by him to be more dangerous than had been supposed.  Mr. O’Brien, on being informed of this, procured a jaunting-car, on which they both sat, and at an easy pace reached the Colonel’s residence.

The curate was shown into an ante-room, and Jemmy sat in the hall:  the Colonel joined the former in a few minutes.  He had been in England and on the continent, accompanied by his family, for nearly the last three years, but had just returned, in order to take possession of a large property in land and money, to which he succeeded at a very critical moment, for his own estates were heavily encumbered.  He was now proprietor of an additional estate, the rent-roll of which was six thousand per annum, and also master of eighty-five thousand pounds in the funds.  Mr. O’Brien, after congratulating him upon his good fortune, introduced the case of our hero as one which, in his opinion, called for the Colonel’s interposition as a magistrate.