led a sneak if
I'm not one?" Whereupon he marched off to Railsford, and informed him
that Felgate had twice screwed his arm; once made him catch hold of a
poker at the hot end--the proof whereof he bore on his hand--had once
made him stand in the corner on one foot for the space of an hour by the
clock; and had half a dozen times threatened him that unless he did
something wrong he would accuse him of theft or some other horrible
crime to the doctor. By reason of which ill-usage and threats, he, the
deponent, went in bodily fear of his life.

"Oh, and please, Mr Railsford, be sure and not let him know I told you,
or he'll kill me!"

Railsford had another uncomfortable interview with Felgate after this.
Felgate as usual began by impugning the junior's veracity, but on the
master's proposing to send for the boy, and let him repeat his story
there and then, he sullenly admitted that he might have played practical
jokes on his tender person of the kind suggested. When Railsford said
the matter was a serious one, the prefect smiled deprecatingly, and said
it was not pleasant to him to be spoken to in this manner, and that if
Mr Railsford wished to punish him he would be glad to have it over and
done with. Railsford said that the question in his mind was whether he
would allow Felgate to continue a prefect of the house. Whereupon
Felgate promptly changed colour and dropped his sneer entirely.

"I'm sure," said he, "I had no intention of hurting him. I may have
been a trifle inconsiderate, but I didn't suppose--he didn't complain to
me, so I could hardly know he minded it."

"I can have very little confidence in a prefect who acts as you have
done, Felgate."

"You may depend on me, sir, not to touch him again."

"I want to depend on more than that," said the master. "As a prefect,
you hold a position of influence in the house. If that influence is
badly used--"

"I don't think you will have to complain any more," said Felgate.

"I sincerely hope not--for you may be sure another offence of this kind
could not possibly be passed over. For the present I shall say no more
about this, and shall do my best to treat you with the same confidence
as heretofore. Just now we need all to work together for the good of
our house and the school; and the boys are sure to look to the prefects
to help them. Good-night, Felgate."

The grimace with which the prefect returned the salute, after the door
closed, might have conv