28 HORSE-LEECHES A T SCHOOL. CHAP. n. 



The door was not open ; and to wile away his time 

 he went down to the Denburn. He found plenty of 

 horse-leeches, and a number of the grubs of water-flies. 

 He had put them into the bottom of a broken bottle, 

 when one of the scholars came running up, crying, 

 " Tarn, Tarn, the school's in ! " Knowing the penalty 

 of being behind time, Tom flew after the boy, without 

 thinking of the bottle he had in his hand. He con- 

 trived, however, to get it into the school, an4 deposited 

 it in a corner beside him, without being observed. 



All passed on smoothly for about half-an-hour, 

 when one of the scholars gave a loud scream, and 

 started from his seat. The master's attention was 

 instantly attracted, and he came down from the desk, 

 taws in hand. "What's this?" he cried. "It's a 

 horse-leech crawlin' up my leg ! " "A horse-leech ? " 

 " Yes, sir, and see," pointing to the corner in which 

 Tom kept his treasure, "there's a bottle fu' o' them!" 

 " Give me the bottle ! " said the master ; and, looking 

 at the culprit, he said, " You come this way, Master 

 Edward!" Edward followed him quaking. On 

 reaching the desk, he stopped, and holding out the 

 bottle, said, " That's yours, is it not ?" " Yes." " Take 

 it then, that is the way out," pointing to the door ; 

 " go as fast as you can, and never come back ; and 

 take that too," bringing the taws down heavily upon 

 his back. Tom thoiight that his back was broken, 

 and that he would never get his breath again. 



A few days after, Tom was preparing to go 



