48 The Third School. [cHap. I. 
the Green.” “At the fit o’ the Green! But hoo lang is 
it since ye was putten awa frae that school?’ ‘Tom was 
silent. He saw that his mother had been informed of his 
expulsion. 
In a little while she was ready to go out. She took 
hold of her son by the cuff of the neck, and took him down 
to the Green. When she reached the school, for the pur- 
pose of imploring the master to take her son back, she 
knocked at the door, and the master at once appeared. 
Before she could open her mouth, the master abruptly be- 
gan, “Don’t bring that boy here! J’ll not take him back 
—not though you were to give me twenty pounds! Neither 
I, nor my scholars, have had a day’s peace since he came 
here.” And with that he shut the door in her face before 
she could utter a single word. She turned and came away, 
very much vexed. She kept her grip on the boy, but, 
standing still to speak to a neighbor, and her hold getting 
a little slacker, he made a sudden bolt and escaped. 
As usual, he crept in late in the evening. His father 
was at home, reading. On entering, Tom observed that he 
stopped, fixing his eyes upon him over the top of his book, 
and looked at him steadily for some time. Then, laying 
down his book, he said, “And where have you been, sir?” 
The boy said nothing. “It’s no wonder that you’re dumb. 
You’ve been putten out of your school a second time. 
You'll be a disgrace to all connected wi’ you. You'll be- 
come an idler, a ne’er-do-well. You'll get into bad com- 
pany. You'll become a thief! Then you'll get into jail, 
and end your days in misery and shame. Such is the case 
with all that neglect their schooling, and disregard what 
their parents bid them.” 
Tom was at last ashamed of himself. He said nothing 
until supper-time; and then he asked for his supper, as 
he was hungry. “ Perhaps you are,” said his father; “and 
you shall get no supper this night, nor any other night, 
until you learn to behave yourself better. Go to bed, sir, 
