Page:Des Grieux, The Prelude to Teleny.djvu/143

 "Just say such a word again, and your tongue'll wither in your mouth. Don't you know" you wretched child that you make the good God cry when you say such words. You are old enough to understand that if you make the good God so angry, he might in his wrath strike you dead for ever."

"And a day after," said I to myself, mentally.

Her scolding and my whimpering were both suddenly stopped by the sound of the drum. It was the second signal, so I ought to have already been combed, washed and ready to join my school fellows who were marching down to their morning studies.

The nurse soused my head in a basin of water, anxiously bidding me at the same time to forget the terrible word I had uttered, and that for this time she would not speak to the masters, then she helped me to put on my dirty uniform.

All haste was however useless, I was twelve minutes late, therefore I was noted down and got fifty lines to copy during the play hours.