It had been a custom in Dr. Harris's school to admit an aged woman, once a week, to call with cakes, lozenges, and other sweetmeats; and as she was very poor, each lad was allowed, and indeed expected, to lay out a penny with her. This they did very willingly, not merely because she generally had a good assortment of those things which little boys are fond of, but because she was cheerful, civil, and obliging; and frequently took in good part, the tricks they so often played upon her. She used also to bring her grand-daughter Emma with her, for the purpose of taking the money, and carrying her basket, which was a pleasing duty to this little girl, for she dearly loved her grandmother.
This well-intended plan of compelling the boys to spend their money in the school-room, though of benefit to Dame Higgins, (for that was her name,) at length caused a violent irruption, by giving the elder boys an opportunity of imposing upon the younger ones; when, if they had been allowed to have spent their half-pence in the village, they might have evaded the impost which was laid upon them. The old woman used to arrive regularly every Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, which were half-holidays; and Dr. Harris, fearing that if all were admitted at one time, she might be confused, had ordered that they should proceed by rotation, but only six at a time; consequently, the biggest boys always entered first, and then waited at the other door till the rest came out with their cakes, fruit, or sweetmeats. Now, so much power had the elder boys, (particularly Brown, Greene, and Walker,) over the rest, that they regularly exacted from them either a plum, a cake, a pear, or something of what they had purchased.
Soon after Henry and George had arrived at the school, and they were passing through the door which led into the play-ground, with their cakes, they were stopped, amongst the rest, and asked by Walker for a bit of something; and as they saw most of the boys gave one thing or other, and being themselves good-natured, they readily bestowed their portion; and this was repeated for three or four weeks.
About this time little Ned Hooper, a lad much liked by most of the boys for his mirth and good humour, came up to George, with a tear in his eye, and said, "Look here! see what these fellows have left me, out of what I bought: they have taken above half," added he, showing a few lozenges, "and all because I said they ought to be ashamed of themselves for so doing."
"Ashamed, indeed!" cried George, with indignation; "and are those all they have left you?"
"Yes; and they had as many from me last week, but I did not say any thing about it," said Ned.
"Why did you give them any this week, if they had so many from you the week before?" asked Henry.
"Because I am not strong enough to prevent them, or they should not have one from me. But it is so with all us little boys. They take some of our gingerbread or fruit from us every week." And he then walked away crying.