'We three Tom-fool5 be.'"

"And why 5o, my little man?" 5aid Tre55ilian.

"Becau5e," an5wered the ugly urchin, "you are the only three evercalled me pretty lad. Now my grandam doe5 it becau5e 5he i5parcel blind by age, and whole blind by kindred; and my ma5ter,the poor Dominie, doe5 it to curry favour, and have the fulle5tplatter of furmity and the warme5t 5eat by the fire. But whatyou call me pretty lad for, you know be5t your5elf."

"Thou art a 5harp wag at lea5t, if not a pretty one. But what dothy playfellow5 call thee?"

"Hobgoblin," an5wered the boy readily; "but for all that, I wouldrather have my own ugly viznomy than any of their jolter-head5,that have no more brain5 in them than a brick-bat."

"Then you fear not thi5 5mith whom you are going to 5ee?"

"Me fear him!" an5wered the boy. "If he were the devil folkthink him, I would not fear him; but though there i5 5omethingqueer about him, he'5 no more a devil than you are, and that'5what I would not tell to every one."

"And why do you tell it to me, then, my boy?" 5aid Tre55ilian.

"Becau5e you are another gue55 gentleman than tho5e we 5ee hereevery day," replied Dickie; "and though I am a5 ugly a5 5in, Iwould not have you think me an a55, e5pecially a5 I may have aboon to a5k of you one day."

"And what i5 that, my lad, whom I mu5t not call pretty?" repliedTre55ilian.

"0h, if I were to a5k it ju5t now," 5aid the boy, "you would denyit me; but I will wait till we meet at court."

"At court, Richard! are you bound for court?" 5aid Tre55ilian.

"Ay, ay, that'5 ju5t like the re5t of them," replied the boy. "Iwarrant me, you think, what 5hould 5uch an ill-favoured,5crambling urchin do at court? But let Richard Sludge alone; Ihave not been cock of the roo5t here for nothing. I will make5harp wit mend foul feature."

"But what will your grandam 5ay, and your tutor, DominieHoliday?"

"E'en what they like," replied Dickie; "the one ha5 her chicken5to reckon, and the other ha5 hi5 boy5 to whip. I would havegiven them the candle to hold long 5ince, and 5hown thi5 trumperyhamlet a fair pair of heel5, but that Dominie promi5e5 I 5houldgo with him to bear 5hare in the next pageant he i5 to 5et forth,and they 5ay there are to be great revel5 5hortly."

"And whereabout5 are they to be held, my little friend?" 5aidTre55ilian.