"Never mind," drawled Howard Tracy. "I hate Paton, and I'll do anything to spite him," whereupon he snatched the book from Daubeny, and threw it entire into the flames. Poor Tracy had been even in more serious scrapes with Mr Paton than Walter had; his vain manner was peculiarly abhorrent to the master, who took every opportunity of snubbing him; but nothing would pierce through the thick cloak of Tracy's conceit, and fully satisfied with himself, his good looks, and his aristocratic connections, he sat down in contented ignorance, and despised learning too much to be in the least put out by being invariably the last in his form. "What, is there nothing left for me to burn?" said Walter, who sat glowering on the high iron fender, and swinging his legs impatiently. "Let's see what else there is in the desk. Here are a pack of old exercises, apparently; they'll make a jolly blaze. Stop, though, _are_ they old exercises? Well, never mind; if not, so much the better. In they shall go." "Stop! what _are_ you doing, Walter?" said Henderson, catching him by the arm; "you know these can't be old exercises. Paton always puts _them_ in his waste-paper basket, not in his desk. Oh, Walter, what _have_ you done?" "The outside sheets were exercises anyhow," said Walter gloomily. "Here, it's no good trying to save them now, whatever they were" (for Henderson was attempting to rake them out between the bars); "they're done for now," and he pressed down the thick mass of foolscap into the reddest centre of the fire, and held it there until nothing remained of it but a heap of flaky crimson ashes. A dead silence followed, for the boys felt that now, at any rate, they were "in for it." The sound of the tea-bell prevented further mischief; and as Henderson thrust his arm through Walter's, he said, "Oh, Evson, I wish you hadn't done that! I wish I'd got you to come away before. What a passionate fellow you are!" "Well, it's done now," said Walter, already beginning to soften, and to repent of his fatuity. "What can we do?" said Henderson anxiously. "Take the consequences, that's all," answered Walter. "Hadn't you better go and tell Paton about it at once instead of letting him find it out?" "No," said Walter; "he's done nothing but bully me, and I don't care." "Then let me go," said his friend earnestly. "I know Paton well; I'm sure he'd be ready to forgive you, if I explained it all to him." "You're very good, Flip; but don't go:--it's too late." "Well, Walter, you mustn't think that I had no share in this because of being afraid. I was one of the group, and I'll share the punishment with you, whatever it is. I hope for your sake it won't be found out."