70 DOGGED JACK.

a nature to dream even of making his own guilt
seem less at the expense of his friend.
 Unluckily, however, for the boy, he had of old
 been too fond of practical jokes, a taste acquired
 amongst his schoolfellows, and which seems inherent
 and natural to many boy natures. His father, on
 the contrary, had a constitutional dislike to them,
 and his anger was increased tenfold by believing
 what Adolphus told him, and imagining that Jack
 had been warned not to indulge in this late
 freak.
 He felt very acutely also that it was most un-
 grateful of Jack to have resorted to practices which
 he knew he held in detestation, at the very time
 that so much indulgence was being granted to him
 and Polly.
 "Jack," asked Polly, one evening as she stole up to
 her brother's room softly, and came across to where
 the boy was poring over his books in the waning
 light, "what's an idiot ?"
 Jack looked up with an abstracted air, putting
his finger on the page before him to mark his
place.
 A what, dear ?"
 "An idiot ?" repeated Polly impatiently. I want
to know what it is, because I heard Dr. Brown tell-
ing father that he has no doubt when Sally wakes