CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
HOW I FOUND THAT HOPE DEFERRED MAKES THE HEART SICK.
The reader may picture my horror and astonishment on discovering Billy's secret.

And the strangest part of it was that the graceless youth appeared to be utterly unconscious that he had done anything wrong.

On the contrary, his jubilant face and triumphant voice showed plainly that he considered he had done a fine--a splendid thing.
I endeavoured to reason with him; he flared up as if I were trying to defraud Jack Smith of his new boots.

I warned him of the punishment that would follow if he were caught.

He gloried in the risk he ran.