after Simson's visit, he heard that the list
was closed without him, kicked Simson, and felt on the whole rather
glad. He had thought the matter over, and did not like breaking his
promise to the people at home. Besides, he still felt sore at the loss
of his former sixpence in a similar venture, and looked upon the whole
business as more or less of a "plant." Further than that, he now had a
delightful opportunity of tormenting Sir Digby, who had weakly yielded
to the tempter, albeit with a few qualms and prickings of conscience.

"Just like you!" bragged Arthur; "anybody can do you! A precious lot of
your six stamps you'll see back! _I_ know Mills--a regular shark!--and
if there's a row, he'll back out and leave you and the rest of them to
catch it; then who'll be Roaring Tommy, eh?"

Digby did not like this sort of talk; it offended him--besides, it
frightened him.

"Stuff and nonsense!" said he. "Who's to care about a few postage-
stamps? I wouldn't gamble with money, not if I was paid for it. Why, I
should fancy if Felgate goes in for it it's not much harm."

"Felgate knows what he's up to, and can look after himself," said
Arthur. "You can't; you swallow everything any ass tells you!"

"I don't swallow all _you_ tell me, for one!" retorted Dig.

Arthur coloured; he did not like being pulled up short like that,
especially when he was doing the high moral business.

"All serene!" said he testily; "do as you please. I've warned you to
keep out of it, young Oakshott. Don't blame me if you burn your
fingers."

Thus said his prigship, and undid all the credit his little act of self-
denial had earned him. He is not the only boy who gets his head turned
now and then by the unexpected discovery that he is virtuous. Is he,
reader?

But, without being a prophet, his prigship managed on the present
occasion to make a pretty near prediction, for Sir Digby Oakshott did
burn his fingers.

He was summoned one evening to Mills's study to draw his horse. The
twenty-one names were shaken up in a hat, and those present each drew
out one. To Dig's disgust, he drew Blazer--a horse whom everybody
jeered at as a rank outsider. Simson was the fortunate drawer of
Roaring Tommy. Mills got the second favourite, and Felgate--for whom,
in his absence, Mills drew--got another outsider called Polo.

Dig scarcely liked to tell Arthur of his bad luck, but his chum
extracted the secret from him.

"I'm jolly glad!" sai