doing something
which was against rules; for, sad to say, both of our youngsters, since
their loss of character for steadiness in their form, had got into
the habit of doing things which were forbidden, as a matter of
adventure,--just in the same way, I should fancy, as men fall into
smuggling, and for the same sort of reasons--thoughtlessness in the
first place. It never occurred to them to consider why such and such
rules were laid down: the reason was nothing to them, and they only
looked upon rules as a sort of challenge from the rule-makers, which it
would be rather bad pluck in them not to accept; and then again, in the
lower parts of the school they hadn't enough to do. The work of the form
they could manage to get through pretty easily, keeping a good enough
place to get their regular yearly remove; and not having much ambition
beyond this, their whole superfluous steam was available for games and
scrapes. Now, one rule of the house which it was a daily pleasure of all
such boys to break was that after supper all fags, except the three
on duty in the passages, should remain in their own studies until nine
o'clock; and if caught about the passages or hall, or in one another's
studies, they were liable to punishments or caning. The rule was
stricter than its observance; for most of the sixth spent their evenings
in the fifth-form room, where the library was, and the lessons were
learnt in common. Every now and then, however, a prepostor would be
seized with a fit of district visiting, and would make a tour of
the passages and hall and the fags' studies. Then, if the owner were
entertaining a friend or two, the first kick at the door and ominous
"Open here" had the effect of the shadow of a hawk over a chicken-yard:
every one cut to cover--one small boy diving under the sofa, another
under the table, while the owner would hastily pull down a book or
two and open them, and cry out in a meek voice, "Hullo, who's there?"
casting an anxious eye round to see that no protruding leg or elbow
could betray the hidden boys. "Open, sir, directly; it's Snooks."
"Oh, I'm very sorry; I didn't know it was you, Snooks." And then with
well-feigned zeal the door would be opened, young hopeful praying that
that beast Snooks mightn't have heard the scuffle caused by his coming.
If a study was empty, Snooks proceeded to draw the passages and hall to
find the truants.

Well, one evening, in forbidden hours, Tom and East were in the hall