One evening Barker, having snuffed the candle, suddenly and slyly put the smouldering wick unnoticed on the head of a little quiet inoffensive fellow named Wright, who happened to be sitting next to him.

It went on smouldering for some time without Wright's perceiving it, and at last Barker, highly delighted, exclaimed-- "I see a chimney," and laughed.
Four or five boys looked up, and very soon every one in the room had noticed the trick except little Wright himself, who unconsciously wrote on at the letter he was sending home.
Eric did not like this; but not wishing to come across Barker again, said nothing, and affected not to have observed.

But Russell said quietly, "There's something on your head, Wright," and the little boy putting up his hand, hastily brushed off the horrid wick.
"What a shame!" he said, as it fell on his letter, and made a smudge.
"Who told you to interfere ?" said Barker, turning fiercely to Russell.
Russell, as usual, took not the slightest notice of him, and Barker, after a little more bluster, repeated the trick on another boy.

This time Russell thought that every one might be on the look out for himself, and so went on with his work.

But when Barker again chanted maliciously-- "I see a chimney," every boy who happened to be reading or writing, uneasily felt to discover this time he was himself the victim or no; and so things continued for half an hour.
Ridiculous and disgusting as this folly was, it became, when constantly repeated, very annoying.