unjust chastisement, while every stroke obliterated some yet
remaining emotion of respect and love for his father, who, satisfied
at length with strokes and upbraiding, threw the boy from him with
the cutting words--

"I shall yet have to disown you!" and turning away left the
apartment.






CHAPTER III.





WHILE Mr. Howland yet paced the floor in a perturbed state of mind,
after the severe flogging he had given to Andrew, and while he
meditated some further and long-continued punishment for the
offences which had been committed, a servant handed him a note. It
was from Andrew's teacher, and was to this effect--

"From careful inquiry, I am entirely satisfied that your son, when
he threw the stone at William Wilkins, was acting in self-defence,
and, therefore, is blameless. Wilkins is a quarrelsome, overbearing
lad, and was abusing a smaller boy, when your son interfered to
protect the latter. This drew upon him the anger of Wilkins, who