ng of you in there for?'

"I told him, and asked him who he was, and it turned out his name was
Joe Crump, and he's the boy who cleans the knives at Philips's.
He happened to be knocking about when they took me prisoner, and he
couldn't see who it was in the dark, and thought it might be his younger
brother who comes on errands from the grocer's; the Philistines are
always playing tricks on him.

"I said, 'Look here, Joe Crump, you let me out, there's a good chap.'
But he wouldn't; he was afraid of what young Noaks would do to him.
At last I gave him a shilling through the crack of the boards, and vowed
I wouldn't say who'd done it, and then he undid the door. I fastened
the padlock again, and threw the key into the hedge, for Noaks had left
it in the keyhole; so now he won't be able to get his lock again unless
he either breaks it or the staple, and they're both pretty tough.
After that I got round through two other fields into the lane, and here
I am."

The conclusion of Diggory's story was hailed with shouts of triumph.
To imagine the disappointment of the Philistines when they discovered
that the bird had flown, and the chagrin of young Noaks when he found
that his play-box padlock was fastened to the door of the shed, was
simply delightful; and Acton was so carried away that he once more fell
on Diggory's neck, and pretended to shed tears of joy upon the latter's
broad turn-down collar.

"But that's not all," cried the youngster, shaking himself free from his
leader's embrace. "The best is this. I had a bit of a talk with Joe
Crump before I came away, and he says that young Noaks is going to leave
at the end of this term, and he's been telling the Philistines that
before he goes he means to do something that'll pay us out for his being
sent off the field in that football match. Crump doesn't know what he
means to do, but I made him promise, if he finds out, to come and tell
me, and I'll give him another shilling. Then we shall be prepared."

"I say, Diggy," exclaimed Jack Vance, "you are a _corker!_" and the bell
now commencing to ring for evening preparation, the meeting terminated.

It was an annual custom at The Birches for the boys to subscribe towards
getting a display of fireworks, which were let off in the playground
under the superintendence of Mr. Blake. The head-master himself gave a
donation towards the fund, and allowed the boys to prepare the next
day's work in the afternoon instead of in t