now, by gum. Aren't you blubbin'?"

"Can't you see, you blind beast?" Sefton fell over sideways, tear-tracks
furrowing the dried lather. Crack came the cricket-stump on the curved
latter-end of him.

"Blind, am I," said Beetle, "and a beast? Shut up, Stalky. I'm goin' to
jape a bit with our friend, _a' la_ 'Molly' Fairburn. _I_ think I can
see. Can't I see, Sefton?"

"The point is well taken," said McTurk, watching the strap at work.
"You'd better say that he sees, Seffy."

"You do--you can! I swear you do!" yelled Sefton, for strong arguments
were coercing him.

"Aren't my eyes lovely?" The stump rose and fell steadily throughout
this catechism.

"Yes."

"A gentle hazel, aren't they?"

"Yes--oh, yes!"

"What a liar you are! They're sky-blue. Ain't they sky-blue?"

"Yes--oh, yes!"

"You don't know your mind from one minute to another. You must
learn--you must learn."

"What a bait you're in!" said Stalky. "Keep your hair on, Beetle."

"I've had it done to me," said Beetle. "Now--about my being a beast."

"_Pax_--oh, _pax_!" cried Sefton; "make it _pax_. I'll give up! Let me
off! I'm broke! I can't stand it!"

"Ugh! Just when we were gettin' our hand in!" grunted McTurk.

"They didn't let Clewer off, I'll swear."

"Confess--apologize--quick!" said Stalky.

From the floor Sefton made unconditional surrender, more abjectly even
than Campbell He would never touch any one again. He would go softly all
the days of his life.

"We've got to take it, I suppose?" said Stalky. "All right, Sefton.
You're broke? Very good. Shut up, Beetle! But before we let you up, you
an' Campbell will kindly oblige us with 'Kitty of Coleraine'--_a' la_
Clewer."

"That's not fair," said Campbell; "we've surrendered."

"'Course you have. Now you're goin' to do what we tell you--same as
Clewer would. If you hadn't surrendered you'd ha' been really bullied.
Havin' surrendered--do you follow, Seffy?--you sing odes in honor of the
conquerors. Hurry up!"

They dropped into chairs luxuriously. Campbell and Sefton looked at each
other, and, neither taking comfort from that view, struck up "Kitty of
Coleraine."

"Vile bad," said Stalky, as the miserable wailing ended. "If you hadn't
surrendered it would have been our painful duty to buzz books at you for
singin' out o' tune. Now then."

He freed them from their bonds, but for several minutes they could not
rise. Campbell was first on his feet, smiling uneasily. Sefton stagg