“Probably,” muttered Waymark, without knowing what he said.  It was Mr. O’Gree’s habit to affect this violent devotion to each new governess in turn, but Waymark did not seem to find the joke amusing at present.

“Bedad, I’ll do it then!  Or, rather, I would, if I’d two top-coats.  Hang it!  There’s no behaving like a gentleman on twenty-five pounds a year.”

Waymark walked about the streets the greater part of the night, and the next morning came to school rather late.  Dr. Tootle had to consult with him about some matter as soon as he arrived.

“You seem indisposed, Mr. Waymark,” the doctor remarked, when he had in vain tried to elicit intelligible replies to his questions.

“I am a little out of sorts,” the other returned carelessly.  “Perhaps we could talk about these things to-morrow.”

“As you please,” said Dr. Tootle, a little surprised at his assistant’s indifference.

It was a drawing-lesson morning.  As he went upstairs, his ears apprised him of the state of things he would find m Miss Enderby’s room.  The approach of the Easter holidays was making the youngsters even more than usually uproarious, and their insubordination had passed beyond all pretence of attending to tasks.  When Waymark entered, his first glance, as always, was towards the governess.  She looked harassed and ill; was in vain endeavouring to exert some authority with her gentle voice.  Her eyes showed unmistakable gratitude as the teacher appeared, for his approach meant that she would be relieved from the three elder children.  Waymark called sharply to his pupils to come and take their places, but without any attention on their part.  Master Felix openly urged the rest to assume a defiant attitude, and began to improvise melodies on a trumpet formed by rolling up a copy-book.

“Felix,” said Miss Enderby, “give me your copy-book and go to the drawing-lesson.”

The boy removed the trumpet from his mouth, and, waving it once round his head, sent it flying across the room at the speaker; it hit her on the cheek.  In the same minute, Waymark had bent across his knee a large pointer which stood in a corner of the room, and had snapped it into two pieces.  Holding the lighter of these in one hand, with the other hand he suddenly caught Master Felix by the coat-collar, and in a second had him out of the room and on to the landing.  Then did the echoes of the Academy wake to such a bellowing as they had probably never heard before.  With a grip impossible even to struggle against, Waymark held the young imp under his arm, and plied the broken pointer with great vigour; the stripes were almost as loud as the roarings.  There was a rush from the rooms below in the direction of the disturbance; all the boys were in a trice leaping about delightedly on the stairs, and behind them came O’Gree, Egger, and Dr. Tootle himself.  From the room above rushed out all the young Tootles, yelling for help.  Last of all, from still higher regions