ashamed.  Finding the scholars here in terror of a bully, who imposed upon his schoolfellows with impunity because, being the principal’s nephew, he was protected in so doing, I taught him a lesson which may not do him good, but has certainly been of benefit to his fellow-pupils.  In so doing, I have incurred his enmity, and that of his uncle, who, for more than one reason, is utterly unfit to conduct a school of this kind.

“You threaten to remove me from school at the end of this term.  I do not wish to remain, and shall remove myself at the end of this week.  I shall not look to you for support, nor do I expect again to depend upon the estate to which I once thought myself the heir, unless I should be able to prove that I am the son of your brother, as I fully believe, notwithstanding the letter you exhibit.”

“Hector Roscoe.”

When Mr. Allan Roscoe received this letter he was very much disturbed.  As he had no affection for Hector, and did not care what became of him, this may, perhaps, excite surprise.  Could it be the last sentence which excited his alarm?

“Is that letter from Hector?” asked Guy, who had noticed the postmark as it lay upon his father’s table.

“Yes,” answered Allan Roscoe.

“Does he try to explain his theft?” asked Guy.

“He says he had nothing to do with it.”

“Oh, of course!” sneered Guy.  “You don’t believe it, do you?”

“He sends a statement of two of the pupils to the effect that the wallet was taken by another pupil, a nephew of the principal.”

“That’s too thin!”

“I don’t know.  It may be true.  I don’t like the boy, but I hardly think it probable he would steal.”

“You think better of him than I do.  I suppose he wants to get into your good graces again?”

“No; he says he shall leave school at the end of this week, and will not again look to me for support.”

“That’s jolly!” exclaimed Guy, much pleased.  “You’re well rid of him, papa.  Let him go away and make a living as he can.  He’ll have to turn newsboy, or something of that sort—­perhaps he’ll have to be a bootblack.  Wouldn’t that be a good come down for a boy like Hector?”

Guy spoke with great glee, but his father did not seem to enjoy his release as well as Guy.  He showed that he understood the boy better when he said: 

“Hector will not have to resort to any such employmeat.  He has a good education, and he can get some decent position, probably.  On the whole, I am sorry he is going to leave my protection, for friends of the family may, perhaps, blame me.”

“But it isn’t your fault, papa.  He is taking his own course.”

“To be sure.  You are right there!”

Mr. Roscoe thought so much on the subject, however, that the next day he went to Smith Institute to see Hector, without telling Guy where he was going.

Arrived there, he asked to see Mr. Smith.