good style.

As the clock pointed to the fatal hour, Dig sharply rattled his spoon
against the side of his empty cup. At the expected signal, about a
dozen boys, the contributors to the testimonial, rose to their feet, and
turned their eyes on Arthur. Railsford, at the head of the table,
mistook the demonstration for a lapse of good manners, and was about to
reprimand the offenders, when by a concerted movement the deputation
stepped over their forms and advanced on the master in a compact
phalanx. Arthur and Dig, both a little pale and dry about the lips,
marched at their head. "What is all this?" inquired Railsford. Arthur
and Dig replied by a rather ceremonious bow, in which the deputation
followed them; and then the latter carefully cleared his throat.

"We, the undersigned, boys in your house," he began, reading from the
paper before him in a somewhat breathless way, "beg to present you with
a small token of our esteem--[Go on, hand it up, Arthur], and hope you
will like it, and that it will fit, and trust that the name graven
within will suggest pleasant memories in which we all join. The letters
are in the Greek character. We hope we shall all enjoy our holidays,
and come back better in mind and body. You may rely on us to back you
up, and to keep dark things you would not like to have mentioned.--
Signed, with kind regards, Daisy Herapath (a most particular friend), J.
Felgate (prefect), Arthur Herapath (treasurer), Sir Digby Oakshott,
Baronet (secretary), Bateson and Jukes (Babies), Maple, Simson, Tilbury,
and Dimsdale (Shell), Munger (Fifth), Snape (Baby in Bickers's house)."

It spoke a good deal for Mark Railsford that under the first shock of
this startling interview, he did not bowl over the whole deputation like
so many ninepins and explode before the assembled house. As it was he
was too much taken aback to realise the position for a minute or so; and
by that time the baronet's address was half read. He grimly waited for
the end of it, studiously ignoring the box which Arthur held out,
opened, to fascinate him with its charms.

When the reading was done, he wheeled round abruptly in his chair, in a
manner which made the deputation stagger back a pace; and said--

"You mean it kindly, no doubt; but I don't want a present and can't take
one. It was foolish of you to think of such a thing. Don't let it
occur again. I'm vexed with you, and shall have to speak to some of you
privately about