rteen of them, all
fellows in the Sixth, and they keep order and give you lines, and all
that sort of thing."

"Why, I thought it was only masters did that," said Jack Vance.

"Well, you'll find the prefects do it here," answered Carton; "and when
they tell you to do a thing, I'd advise you to look alive and do it, for
they don't reckon to speak twice."

The evening passed quickly enough. After tea came an interview with the
head-master in his study, and then what was perhaps a still more trying
ordeal--a long spell of sitting in the big schoolroom answering an
incessant fire of questions such as, "What's your name?"--"Where d'you
come from?" etc., etc.

At length the signal was given for passing on to bed, and the Triple
Alliance were not sorry to gain the shelter of No. 16 dormitory.

The room contained seven other beds besides their own, two of which were
as yet still vacant, waiting the arrival of boys who had not turned up
on the first day. The remainder were occupied by a couple of other
new-comers, and three oldsters, Carton, Hart, and Bayley.

It was very different from the cosy little bedrooms at The Birches; but
the three friends were glad to be allowed to undress in peace and quiet,
and had scrambled safely into bed some time before the prefect put in an
appearance to turn out the light.

"I tell you what," said Hart, a few moments later: "you new kids may
think yourselves lucky that you're in a quiet room for a start. I know
when I came first there used to be christenings and all kinds of
humbug."

"What was that?" asked Diggory.

"Why, fellows used always to christen you with a nickname: they stuck
your head in a basin and poured water over you, and if you struggled you
got it all down your back."

"Yes," continued Carton, "and they hid your clothes, and had bull-fights
and all sorts of foolery. That was in _Nineteen_: old 'Thirsty' was the
prefect for that passage, and he doesn't care tu'pence what fellows do.
But Allingford's put a stop to almost all that kind of thing: he's
captain of the school, and he's always awfully down on anything of that
sort."

By the time breakfast was over on the following morning, Diggory and his
two companions were beginning to recover a little from their first state
of bewilderment amid their strange surroundings. They donned the school
cap of black flannel, with the crest worked in silk upon the front, and
went out to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine in