Magnum Bonum; Or, Mother Carey's Brood. Yonge Charlotte Mary

did!” cried Jock, triumphantly. “At least he flogged Bobus, when—”

      “Shut up, you little ape,” thundered Bobus, not choosing to be offered up to the manes of his father’s discipline.

      “You think you must explain it to my uncle, mother,” said Allen, rather ruefully.

      “Certainly. He ought to be told first, and Mr. Ogilvie next. Depend upon it, he will be far less angry if it is freely confessed and put into his hands and what is more important, Mr. Barnes must attend to him, and acquit the Richardses.”

      The general voice agreed, but Rob writhed and muttered, “Can’t you be the one to tell him, Mother Carey?”

      “That’s cool,” said Allen, “to ask her to do what you’re afraid of.”

      “He couldn’t do anything to her,” said Rob.

      However, public opinion went against Rob, and the party of boys dragged him off in their train the less reluctantly that Allen would be spokesman, and he always got on well with his uncle. No one could tell how it was, but the boy had a frank manner, with a sort of address in the manner of narration, that always went far to disarm displeasure, and protected his comrades as well as himself. So it was that, instead of meeting with unmitigated wrath, the boys found that they were allowed the honours and graces of voluntary confession. Allen even thought that his uncle showed a little veiled appreciation of the joke, but this was not deemed possible by the rest.