there was one sort of conveyance he doated on
it was a tricycle. He wiped off every score on his mental slate against
Marky, and voted him the greatest brick going, and worthy to be backed
up to the very end--especially if they had oysters at the picnic!

"Wish _you_ could come, old man," said he to Dig, who was groaning over
his 100 lines of Livy.

"I wouldn't go with him if he asked me, the cad!" growled Dig.

"No, he's not a cad. If it hadn't been for him you wouldn't have seen
one of your stamps back; and you might have been expelled straight away
into the bargain. Tell you what, Dig, you've been scouting for Stafford
all the last week; he ought to do something for you. Why don't you ask
him to take you? He'll do it, like a shot. He's always civil to us."

Dig thought it over.

"If he says Yes, will you help me polish off my lines?"

"All right. I say, go soon, or somebody else may have asked him."

Dig went, and to his satisfaction was informed that Stafford would take
him, if he promised to be steady. Which of course he did promise. So
between them the two chums polished off the Livy--never was the great
historian made such mincemeat of before or after--and then gave
themselves over to delightful anticipations of the Field Club picnic.

One misgiving disturbed Arthur's peace of mind. Railsford might make a
base use of his opportunity as partner on the tricycle to corner him
about his misdeeds and generally to "jaw" him. Besides, as Dig was
going too, it would be ever so much jollier if Dig and he could go to
Wellham together and let the masters go by themselves.

"We must work it somehow, Dig," said Arthur. "If we go we must have a
high old time--and not be let in for a lot of rot about old bones and
fossils and that sort of thing."

"Rather not," said Dig, "though I wouldn't mind if we could get hold of
a skull. It would look prime on the mantelpiece."

"Gammer, who went last year, says it was an awful go-to-meeting turn-
out. Top-hats, and service at the abbey, and scarcely a bit of grub;
but I hear the spread's to be rather good this year, down by the river's
edge."

"Hooroo!" said Dig, "I guess you and I will be about when they call over
for that part of the spree."

The morning was dull and cloudy, and Dig and Arthur as they stood on the
hall steps and looked up at the sky, debated with themselves whether the
day would hold up long enough to allow of the picnic at the water's
edg