would not mind so much if the fellow were a gentleman."

"I don't know what you may call a gentleman," Miss Scudamore said
severely. "He stands very high here a schoolmaster, while he visits
the vicar, and is well looked up to everywhere."

"He's not a gentleman for all that," Tom muttered; "he wouldn't be if
he visited the Queen. One does not mind being trashed by a gentleman;
one is used to that at Eton; but to be knocked about by a fellow like
that! Well, we shall see."

For a week the boys put up with the cruelty of their tutor, who at
once took an immense dislike to them on finding that they did not,
like the other boys, cringe before him, and that no trashing could
extract a cry from them.

It must not be supposed that they did not meditate vengeance, but they
could hit upon no plan which could be carried out without causing
suspicion that it was the act of one of the boys; and in that case
they knew that he would question them all round, and they would not
tell a lie to screen themselves.

Twice they appealed to their aunt, but she would not listen to them,
saying that the other boys did not complain, and that if their master
was more severe with them than with others, it could only be because
they behaved worse. It was too evident that they were boys of very
violent dispositions, and although she was sorry that their master
found it necessary to punish them, it was clearly her duty not to
interfere.