The nine o’clock bells of Boston were ringing, as Oscar left the depot and turned his steps homeward.  He hurried along through the familiar streets, and had just turned the corner from which his home was in sight, when somebody jumped suddenly from a dark passage-way, and seized him by the hand.  It was Ralph, who had been on the watch for his brother half an hour, and, concealed himself just as he saw him approaching.  Each gave the other a cordial greeting, and then they hastened into the house, where Oscar found the rest of the family waiting to receive him.  The general commotion that followed his arrival, aroused Tiger from the comfortable nap he was taking on a mat, and on hearing the well-remembered tones of his master’s voice, he sprang toward Oscar, and nearly knocked him over with his demonstrations of welcome.

So Oscar was at home again; and from the welcome he received, he learned that there is pleasure in getting back from a journey as well as in setting out upon one.  His inflamed eye soon attracted the notice of his mother, and she examined it to see if she could detect the cause of the irritation; but the troublesome atom was invisible.  She then said she would try the eye-stone, and, going to the drawer, she got a small, smooth, and flat stone, and told Ella to go down into the kitchen and bring up a little vinegar in a saucer.  On putting the stone into the vinegar, it soon began to move about, as though it were possessed of life.  When it had become sufficiently lively, Mrs. Preston wiped it dry, and put it between the lid and ball of Oscar’s inflamed eye.  After it had remained there a few minutes, he allowed it to drop into his hand, and on a close-examination, he found that it had brought with it the offending substance that had caused him so much pain.  It was a little black speck, so small that it was barely perceptible to the unaided eye.  It now being quite late, Mrs. Preston thought that further inquiries and answers concerning Oscar’s visit had better be deferred till morning, and the family soon retired to their beds.

CHAPTER XX.

DOWNWARD PROGRESS

The next day was Saturday.  Oscar was off most of the day with his comrades, among whom he was quite a lion for the time.  During one of the brief intervals that he was in the house, his mother said some thing about his going to school on Monday.

“O dear, I don’t want to go to school again this term,” said Oscar.  “What’s the use?  Why, it ’s only four or five weeks before the term will be through.”

“I know that,” replied his mother, “but your father is very anxious that you should get into the High School, and he thinks you can do it if you finish up this term.”

“I can’t do it—­I ’ve got all behindhand with my studies,” said Oscar.

“O yes, you can if you try,” replied his mother.  “You might have got into the High School last year if you had studied a little harder.  You were almost qualified then, and I’m sure you ought to be now.  If you find you are behind your class in your lessons, you must study so much the harder, and you ’ll get up with them by-and-bye.”