a change of clothes. He will be here in a
minute, I expect."

"Quite a catalogue of adventures. If I had known beforehand that there
was going to be so much excitement I might have been tempted to go with
you. I am afraid, Mossop, I have kept you out of quite a good thing."

"There, shut up Easton!" Pinkerton said, for he saw that Skinner was at
the point of explosion; "let us have peace and quiet this first night.
You have got the best of it, there is no doubt. Skinner would admit
that."

"No I wouldn't," Skinner interrupted.

"Never mind whether you would or not, Skinner, it clearly is so. Now,
let us change the conversation. For my part I cannot make out why one
fellow cannot enjoy football and that sort of thing, and another like to
lie on his back in the shade, without squabbling over it. If Skinner
had his own way he would never sit quiet a minute, if Easton had his he
would never exert himself to walk across the room. It is a matter of
taste. I like half and half, but I do not want to interfere with either
of your fancies. Now, it is about time to set to work. I expect there
are a good many holiday tasks not perfect."

There was a chorus of assent, and the senior boys went off to their
private studies, and the juniors to the large study, where they worked
under the eye of the house-master.

Skinner's mournful anticipations as to the effect of the want of weight
in the football team were speedily verified. The trial matches were
almost all lost, the team being fairly borne down by the superior weight
of their opponents. There was general exasperation at these disasters,
for River-Smith's House had for some years stood high, and to be beaten
in match after match was trying indeed. Skinner took the matter terribly
to heart, and was in a chronic state of disgust and fury. As Easton
observed to Edgar Clinton:

"Skinner is becoming positively dangerous. He is like a Scotch terrier
with a sore ear, and snaps at every one who comes near him."

"Still it is annoying," Edgar, who thoroughly sympathized with Skinner,
said.

"Well, yes, it is annoying. I am annoyed myself, and it takes a good
deal to annoy me. I think we ought to do some thing."

"Well, it seems to me that we have been doing all we can," Edgar said.
"I am sure you have, for it was only yesterday Skinner was holding you
up as an example to some of us. He said, 'You ought all to be ashamed of
yourselves. Why, look at that lazy beggar Easton, he wo