Lom gets into disgrace. 149

lucky, when just at that minute the garden
door opened, and his mamma came out. She
was smiling. “Perhaps she won't see,”
thought Tom.

“Tm glad you've come back,” said she. “I
wanted you.”

Tom was slipping up the steps, and meant
to pass her quickly, with the dirty side of his
jacket near the wall, but her eyes fell on it
directly. |

“Why,” she said, “what’s that? What
have you been putting in your pocket? It’s
quite wet!” |

Tom was obliged to stop, though he was
very sorry. ‘He looked down at it.

“We've been trying to wash it clean,” said
Archie; “but the water was so dirty that it
made it worse.”

Tom’s mamma took up his hand; it was
stained as well as the jacket. Then she
looked at his face. Tom carefully kept his
eyelids down; he did not want her to see
inside him.

“Tom,” said she, very gravely; “you have