CHAP. I1.] A Kae Taken to School. 45 
The scape-grace returned to school. He did not learn a 
great deal. He had been taught by his mother his A B C, 
and to read words of three letters. He did not learn much 
more at Bell Hill’s school. Bell’s qualifications as a teacher 
were not great, Neverthtless, the education that she gave 
was a religious education. She prayed, or, as Edward called 
it, “ groaned,” with the children twice a day. And it was 
during one of her devotional exercises that the circumstance 
occurred which compelled Bell Hill to expel Tom Heart 
from her school. 
Edward had been accustomed to bring many of his 
“beasts” with him to school. The scholars were delighted 
with his butterflies, but few of them cared to be bitten or 
stung by his other animals, and to have horse-leeches crawl- 
ing about them was unendurable. Thus Edward became a 
source of dread and annoyance to the whole school. He 
was declared to be a “ perfect mischief.” When Bell Hill 
was informed of the beasts he brought with him, she used 
to say to the boy, “ Now, do not bring any more of these 
nasty and dangerous things here again.” Perhaps he prom- 
ised, but generally he forgot. 
At last he brought with him an animal of a much larger 
sort than usual. It was a kae, or jackdaw. He used to 
keep it at home, but it made such a noise that he was sent 
out with it one morning, with strict injunctions not to 
bring it back again. He must let it go, or give it to some- 
body else. But he was fond of his kae, and his kae was 
fond of him. It would follow him about like a dog. He 
could not part with the kae; so he took it to school with 
him. But how could he hide it? Little boys’ trousers 
were in those days buttoned over their vest; and as Tom’s 
trousers were pretty wide, he thought he could get the kae 
in there. He got it safely into his breeks before he en- 
tered the school. 
So far so good. But when the school-mistress gave the 
word “Pray,” all the little boys and girls knelt down, turn- 
