36 EDWARD UNJUSTLY PUNISHED. CHAP. n. 



" Now, sir," said the master, when almost out of 

 breath, will you say now that you. did not bring it ? " 

 I did not ; indeed, sir, I did not ! " " Well then, take 

 that," giving him a number of tremendous lashes along 

 his back. " Well now ? " "I did not ! " The master 

 went on again : " It's your own fault," he said, " for 

 not confessing your crime." " But I did not bring it," 

 replied Edward. "I'll flog you until you confess." 

 And then he repeated his lashes, upon his hands, his 

 shoulders, and his back. Edward was a mere mite of 

 a boy, so that the taws reached down to his legs, and 

 smote him there. " Well now," said the master, after 

 he was reduced to his last effort, "did you bring it?" 

 "No, sir, I did not!" 



The master sat down exhausted. " Well," said he, 

 " you are certainly a most provoking and incorrigible 

 devil." The master had a reddish nose, and a num- 

 ber of pimples on his face, which were of the same 

 hue. When he got into a rage, it was observed that 

 the protuberances became much brighter. On this 

 occasion his organ became ten times redder than 

 before. It was like Bardolph's lanthorn in the poop. 

 Some of the boys likened his pimples to large drib- 

 lets of blood. 



After resting for a while in his chair, Edward 

 standing before him, he called to the boy whom he 

 had first brought to his assistance, "William, bring 

 forward that thing ! " The boy brought forward 

 the paper, on which lay a bruised centipede. Now 



