Boys who find difficulty in attending to their lessons are sure to be more teased with interruptions than any others. Holt had not the habit of learning; and he and Hugh were continually annoyed by the boys who sat near them watching how they got on, and making remarks upon them. One day, Mr. Tooke was called out of the school-room to a visitor, and Mr. Carnaby went up to take the master's place, and hear his class. This was too good an opportunity for the boys below to let slip; and they began to play tricks,--most of them directed against Hugh and Tom Holt. One boy, Warner, began to make the face that always made Holt laugh, however he tried to be grave. Page drew a caricature of Mrs. Watson on his slate, and held it up; and Davison took a mask out of his desk, and even ventured to tie it on, as if it had not been school-time. "I declare I can't learn my lesson--'tis too bad!" cried Hugh. "'Tis a shame!" said Tom Holt, sighing for breath after his struggle not to laugh. "We shall never be ready." Hugh made gestures of indignation at the boys, which only caused worse faces to be made, and the mask to nod. "We wont look at them," proposed Holt. "Let us cover our eyes, and not look up at all." Hugh put his hands before his eyes; but still his mind's eye saw the grinning mask, and his lesson did not get on. Besides, a piece of wet sponge lighted on the very page he was learning from. He looked up fiercely, to see who had thrown it. It was no other than Tooke, who belonged to that class:--it was Tooke, to judge by his giggle, and his pretending to hide his face, as if ashamed. Hugh tossed back the sponge, so as to hit Tooke on the nose. Then Tooke was angry, and threw it again, and the sponge passed backwards and forwards several times: for Hugh was by this time very angry,--boiling with indignation at the hardship of not being able to learn his lesson, when he really would if he could. While the sponge was still passing to and fro, Mr. Carnaby's voice was heard from the far end of the room, desiring Warner, Page, Davison, and Tooke to be quiet, and let the boys alone till Mr. Tooke came in, when Mr. Tooke would take his own measures. Hugh, wondering how Mr. Carnaby knew, at that distance, what was going on, found that Holt was no longer by his side. In a moment, Holt returned to his seat, flushed and out of breath. A very slight hiss was heard from every form near, as he came down the room. "O! Holt! you have been telling tales!" cried Hugh. "Telling tales!" exclaimed Holt, in consternation, for Holt knew nothing of school ways. "I never thought of that. They asked me to tell Mr. Carnaby that we could not learn our lessons." "They! Who? I am sure I never asked you." "No; you did not: but Harvey and Prince did,--and Gillingham. They said Mr. Carnaby would soon make those fellows quiet; and they told me to go."