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education. The minds of dogs, Gumbril reflected, do not benefit by being treated as though they were the minds of men.

“Oh Lord, have mercy upon us: have mercy upon us,”

Gumbril shrugged his shoulders and looked round the chapel at the faces of the boys. Lord indeed have mercy upon us. He was disturbed to find the sentiment echoed on a somewhat different note in the Second Lesson which was drawn from the twenty-third chapter of St. Luke. “Father, forgive them,” said Mr. Pelvey in his unvaryingly juicy voice; “for they know not what they do.” Ah, but suppose one did know what one was doing? Suppose one knew only too well? And of course one always did know. One was not a fool.

But this was all nonsense, all nonsense. One must think of something better than this. What a comfort it would be, for example, if one could bring air cushions into chapell. These polished oaken stalls were devilishly hard; they were meant for stout and lusty pedagogues not for bony starvelings like himself. An air cushion, a delicious pneu.

“Here endeth,” boomed Mr. Pelvey, closing his book on the back of the German eagle.

As if by magic, Dr. Jolly was ready at the organ with the Benedictus. It was positively a relief to stand again; this oak was adamantine. But air-cushions, alas, would be too bad an example for the boys. Hardy young Spartans! it was an essential part of their education that they should listen to the word of revelation without pneumatic easemerit. No, air cushions wouldn’t do, The real remedy, it suddenly flashed across his mind, would be trousers