t."

"I never read the athletic intelligence in the papers," said George.

"Well, my uncle and aunt do. The names were actually printed in the
_Times_, and I shall be greatly surprised if I don't find a letter or
telegram when I get back to my rooms. We may as well beat to quarters,
though, or the fellows will be waiting."

"You didn't tell me anyone else was to be there," said George
reproachfully, suddenly stopping short, "I can't come!"

"Stuff and nonsense," said Jim; "they won't eat you!"

"Halliday," said George, hurriedly, "I'm much obliged to you for asking
me, but I have made a rule, as I tell you, never to go out, and I've
told you the reason."

"An utterly rubbishing reason!" put in Jim.

"I promised to come with you because I thought there would be only us
two; but I really can't come if there are more."

"My dear fellow," said Jim good-humouredly, "anyone else would be
offended with you. Why, you're a regular bear."

"I know it's very rude of me," said George, feeling and looking very
uncomfortable, "and I don't want to be that."

"Of course you don't; so come along. Why, my dear fellow, one would
think my friends were all as abandoned wretches as I am, by the manner
in which you shrink from the notion of meeting them, but they aren't."

"Do let me off," put in George, in despair.

"Not a bit of it. But I tell you what, if you don't like them or me--"

"It's not that, you know, but I've no right to associ--"

"Associate with your grandmother! Come this once, and I'll never ask
you again unless you like, there!"

"Who are the fellows?" asked George.

"Two of them are College men--very nice men, in my humble opinion; and,
now I come to think of it, one of them, Clarke, is in against you for
the `Wigram,' but everyone says you're safe; and the third is an old
particular school chum, who is playing in Sandhurst team against us, and
whom it is therefore my interest to incapacitate by a howling
breakfast."

George laughed.

"I wish you'd let him eat my share as well."

"I dare say he would be equal to the occasion. Newcome was always a
good trencherman."

At the name I bounded nearly out of my master's pocket. Newcome! an old
school chum of Jim Halliday's. It must be my old master! And--yes--now
I remembered, he had spoken in one of his letters to Tom Drift of going
to Sandhurst Military College. It must be he. How I longed for my
master to make up his mind and go to the break