Amabel Vaughan.*

the world knows , was founded by him , every 12 th October on that account—and manv a jolly day Mark and I had together ; didn't we , Mark ?" " I believe you , my boy , " was the response , as Mark laughingly imitated som e comic actor , —Paul Bedford , 1 think—who made that exclamation the refrain of a song in the old days . '' Talking about holidays , " the latter continued , " reminds me of Dawson . He was one of the monitors of our ward—Murch was the other , you will remember "

he said turning to Fitz , who was talking to Mabel in an undertone . " Well , they had a custom in our time—I don't know if it exists now—which will amuse Miss Grits , who is fond of music . All the beds were numbered , and we had from 40 to 50 beds in each ward . Well , when it was 50 days to the holidays , the boy whose number that was , had to sing a song in the lavatory before all the boys . If he couldn't sing , he was sprcad-eagled . "

" And pray what is that ? " asked Miss Griss with interest . " Oh ! nothing particular ; the boy was laid across a form and thrashed with knotttd towels by the monitors—that was all . " " What a shame ! " said Mabel indignantly . " Oh , I got on all right . I sang my song when my turn came ; but Fitz had a narrow squeak , and only got off his thrashing as he didn ' t know a song , through the kindbeaittdness of Murch , who knew that hestammered—which he did then—andsaic it would be a shame to spread-eagle that little fellow under the circumstances . " " As a matter of fact , " the Vicar said , " I have understood that people who stammer

often sing best . "Do you remember our old dame , Mrs . Peters , Fitz ? The boys had a habit of having little picnics under the beds , buying little wax candles , and lighting up when everybody was supposed to be asleep . " " What a dreadfully dangerous pastime , " Miss Griss put in . " " Oh yes , I suppose it was ; but then the boys liked that . Old Mother Peters used to come out of her room and say , ' Come out you beds from under them boys . I see you , '"

"Ah ! " put in Fitz , " do you remember her and Wildish 1 " " What was that 1 " enquired Mabel . " Oh , Wildish was a queer fellow . When first I went up to London I suppose he thought I was rather green , for he coflared me one day , saying , ' I say you fellow , have you just como up ?' "' Yes , ' I said looking at him dubiously .

" ' Well , how old are you ?' "' Nine , ' I replied . "' Ah ! well the custom of the School is that every new boy shall break as many windows as he is years old !' "' Is it V I answered a little incredulously . " ' Certainly ! ' said Wildish . ' When I came up I was 13 ( this by the way I don't believe ) , so I had to break 13 windows . Now you must break nine , but , ' he added with great magnanimity , ' if you like I will do it for you . '

" 1 cheerfully assented to his proposition , and he broke them there and then !" " You don ' t say so , " said the "Vicar , " was he not punished ?" " Well he would have been , only nobody caught him ^ -he was a very wide-awake customer . One day when he was up in the ward old Mother Peters came out of bee bedroom—she was rheumatic—and seeing him down below , looked over the balustrade coaxingly and said : ' Wildish do be a good boy now , and fetch the jug out of my

sitting-room up here . Sarah ' s out , ancl I ' m troubled with the rheumatics as you know . " Wildish coming out of the little room said , ' why there isn't a jug . ' " ' Drat the boy , ' the Dame replied , as she came grumbling down stairs ; 'they're all alike—can ' t see anything . ' "' Now , ' she continued triumphantly , as she lugged him into the room , ' don t go to tell any more lies , Wildish , there ' s the jug . ' " ' That ! ' said Wildish , ' that ! ' pointing to the article in question ; ' that isn't a j « S > it ' s a mug ! '