few signs of the grief he had suffered during the night true he was much paler than usual and very silent � but being well accustomed to hide his emotions and keep his troubles to himself he complained of nothing not even to when as she brought him his breakfast she said in rather a manner your ma came home last night master and went away again � what do you think of that i don t think anything � he replied wearily why should i it s not my business hesitated should she tell him what all the servants in the house too truly suspected � what the very villagers in were already about at their cottage doors and in the common room of the inn no i can t do it she mentally decided � he looks as white as a little ghost he do and x i won t bother him he wouldn t understand maybe and he s got all his lessons to learn poor little chap and it ll only him anyhow he ll hear it fast enough aloud she said i suppose your pa and the professor will be home by the first coach from this morning i suppose so assented indifferently i don t like myself went on � people talk about it a lot but it s just a nasty damp up and down place without any real comfort in it they ve got a queer car now that up the hill from to and that doesn t make it any prettier i can tell you she paused then added by way of a totally after thought there s a letter addressed to your pa in your ma s writing waiting for him on his study table remained silent pretending to be entirely absorbed in the enjoyment of his breakfast finding he was not inclined to talk soon left him to himself much to his relief for when quite alone he was fi ee to push away the food that him to even look at and to think his own thoughts without interruption his mother s strange visit to his bedside during the night � her stranger words her tears her kisses seemed this morning more like the vague impressions of a dream than a reality � and unless he had found the � his own baby � she had left with him under his pillow he would have been inclined to doubt the whole incident as it was he was afraid to dwell too much upon it for he had a horrible that it meant something more than he dared � something dreadful � something hopeless � something that for him would bring great misery he had carefully hidden away the baby � a four yards length of broad soft ribbon with the delicate design of a chain over its pale blue silken ground � he had looked at it first with critical interest wondering what he had been like when as an infant he had worn such a pretty thing and noting that it was scented with the same delicious of that had been from his mother s handkerchief when she had dried her eyes after her sudden fit of weeping having put it by in a safe place he knew of he went to his books and set himself desperately to work in order to try and forget his own beginning by a passage of into english blank verse he went on to caesar s com � then he did several difficult and sums and was stretching every small fibre of his young brain well on the rack of learning when a coach horn sounded and he saw the coach itself come rattling into his father and professor were on top � that he saw at a glance � and in another few minutes he taking cautious from the school room window perceived their two familiar figures walking up the drive and entering the house and now � something seemed to stop the boy from the of his tasks � a curious sensation came over him as though he were to wait and hear the worst what worst he could not any worst satisfactorily to himself � yet a violent ringing of bells in the outside corridor startled him and set his heart beating rapidly � he got up from his chair and stood anxiously listening and wondering what was the matter all at once his father s voice pitched in a high hoarse key of utmost wrath called loudly where is the boy has he turned tramp as his mother has turned the sentence was left unfinished for at that moment ran down the stairs quickly and faced him i am here father he trembled as he spoke for he thought his father had suddenly gone mad crimson with fury his eyes rolling wildly in his head his teeth clenched on his under lip he was a terrible sight to see � and his aspect overwhelmed poor with such alarm that he scarcely perceived the professor who stood in the background his great together and his mouth into a strangely grin directly his little son appeared mr pulled himself up as it were by a violent and bringing his eyebrows together so that they met in a hard black line on the bridge of his nose he said in choked fierce accents � oh you are here did you he paused took breath and resumed � did you see your mother yesterday yes � answered the boy faintly � i saw her last night i was in bed and she came and woke me up and said good bye to me mr glared at the fragile trembling little figure in frowning scorn said good bye to you was that all � or was there anything else speak out s teeth began to chatter with fear she said � she said she was going on a visit with � 