and each time discovering that the i's and e's must change places; he
grew utterly provoked and disheartened, and would have fairly cried, had
not Bob been beside him to see the tears, and grow merry over them.

Finally, he lost all patience with Bob, and, turning fiercely to him,
after he had for the third time pitched the greasy old spelling-book
upside down on the floor, said,--

"Look here, now, if you come that thing again, I'll pitch you out of the
window quicker than wink!"

"Edward Lewis marked for whispering," said Mr. Burrows. "Edward, you
have commenced the term as usual, I see,--the first one marked for
bad conduct."

How Tip's ears burned! How untrue it was! He had not commenced this term
as usual; how differently he had tried to commence it, only he and God
knew. And now to fail thus early in the day! His head seemed to spin and
his brain reel; he bowed himself on the seat again, but Bob's head went
down promptly, and he whispered,--

"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep!"

How often Tip had thought such things as these so very funny that he
could not possibly help laughing; how silly and meaningless--yes, and
cruel--did they seem to him now! Oh, Satan was struggling for Tip to-day:
he was reaping the fruits of long weeks spent in evil company and folly.

He looked over to the back seats, where sat Howard Minturn and Ellis
Holbrook, hard at work on their algebra lesson, nobody thinking of such a