ned quietly
to work just as if the mighty "strike" had never existed. Stephen's
regular fights with Bramble recommenced the very first day, so that
everything was quite like old times.

Oliver found that the Fifth, all but one or two, had quite forgotten
their suspicions of his bravery which had spoiled the pleasure of his
last term, and there seemed every prospect of his getting through this
with less risk to his quick temper than before.

As for the Sixth, the Fifth had forgiven them all their offences, and
would have been quite prepared, had it been allowed, to live in peace
with their seniors, and forget all the dissensions of the Summer term.
But it was not allowed, and an event which happened early in the term
served to revive all the old animosities between the two head classes.

At Saint Dominic's, for reasons best known to the all-wise beings who
presided over its management, the principal examinations and "removes"
of the year took place not, as in most schools, at the end of the
Midsummer term, but at the beginning of the Autumn term, about
Michaelmas; consequently now, with the examinations looming in the
distance, everybody who had anything to hope for from hard work settled
down to study like mad. Cricket was over for the year, and football had
not begun. Except boating there was not much doing out of doors, and
for that reason the season was favourable for work. Studies, which used
to be bear-gardens now suddenly assumed an appearance of respectability
and quiet. Books took the place of boxing-gloves, and pens of
fencing-sticks. The disorderly idlers who had been in the habit of
invading at will the quarters of the industrious were now given to
understand they must "kick-up their heels" elsewhere. _They_ might not
want to grind, but others did.

The idlers of the Fifth, to whom this warning was addressed on every
hand, had nothing for it but to obey, and, feeling themselves greatly
ill-used, to retire sadly, to some spot where "they could kick-up a row
to themselves."

Casting about them for such a spot, it happened that Braddy and Ricketts
one day lit almost by accident on an old empty study, which some years
since had been a monitor's room, but was now empty and tenantless.

It at once occurred to these two astute heroes that this would be a
magnificent place for boxing-matches. In the other studies one was
always banging against the corners of tables, or tripping over fenders,
but here t