THE LIFE OF PETER BUPP. 83 



*' Where do you live ?" " Grafton-street, sir." " What is your 

 father ?" " A gentleman," I replied. " Very well," said he ; ** you 

 may go." I this time contrived to shift the consequences of my ill 

 luck on to John Brown, who was a school-fellow, and who got a 

 double beating from his father — first, for breaking the window, and, 

 secondly, for stoutly denying that he had done so ; for the tradesman 

 on going to Grafton-street, and finding on seeing the boy that he had 

 been hoaxed, thought the only chance of being paid was by stating 

 he believed that to be the boy. 



I did not stay very long with good old Scruff, but was sent to the 

 academy of the Rev. Jonas Thrashemwell, whom I soon found out 

 was a very different person to old Scruff. 



Mr. Thrashemwell was near in everything but flogging ; in that 

 he was one of the most liberal men on the face of the earth. I con- 

 tinued at this school for several years, during which time I wrote, by 

 direction of the master, glowing accounts home of my treatment ; 

 but at the holidays, on arriving home, shewing that these were only 

 pretty romances, invented for the satisfaction of disconsolate fathers 

 and mothers when bereaved for a time of their sons. 



One night there arrived by coach a long, lanky, simple sort of lad, 

 who rejoiced in the cognomen of John Nokes. He seemed very shy, 

 and much frightened at being left with such a horde of young savages. 

 The next morning, before school began, and when we were all assem- 

 bled in the school-room, I went up to him and said, " Nokes, my 

 boy, how are you ? I'm very glad to see you," holding out my hand. 

 ** Thank you," said he, just taking one of my fingers; " but I'm 

 sure I do not know you." " Not know me, Peter Buff! why you 

 remember us being at Green's school together." " I never was at 

 Green's school," said Master Nokes. " O, come, none of that ; why 

 you know you were turned out for helping yourself to the other boys* 

 cakes that came from home." " I'm sure I was not," said he, be- 

 ginning to whimper. " Why you have now the marks on'your back 

 of the flogging you got for stealing Harry Johnson's figs." '* I have 

 not," said Nokes. Turning round to the boys, I said, " Off with 

 his jacket and waistcoat, you'll soon see for yourselves." This was 

 soon accomplished, Nokes being too frightened to offer any resist- 



