s that
happened at Chatford, and now you'd better mind your P's and Q's if you
don't want to be hauled up for housebreaking."

With this parting threat the ex-Philistine left the carriage. Mugford,
Jack, and Diggory gazed at one another for a moment with anything but a
happy look on their faces. One after another they slowly gathered up
their things and stepped out on to the platform. Hardly had they done
so when they heard their names called, and turning round beheld the
small figure of "Rats" rushing forward to meet them.

"Hullo!" he exclaimed. "Old Ally sent me down to get a paper, and I
thought you'd come by this train. I say, there's a fine row on up at
the school--such a lark; I'll tell you about it as we go along."

CHAPTER X.

A SCREW LOOSE IN THE SIXTH.

For the time being the three friends forgot their own troubles in their
eagerness to hear "Rat's" description of certain events which had
happened during their absence from Ronleigh.

"Look sharp; out with it!" they exclaimed. "What's happened?"

"Well," began Rathson, "it all came out through young Bayley acting the
fool and spraining his ankle. You know we had the paper-chase this
morning, and the hares ran out to Arrow Hill, and back again round by
the canal and Birksam Church. Just after we'd rounded the hill, young
Bayley jumped off the top of a high hedge, and twisted his foot so badly
that he couldn't stand up. As it happened, there was a check just then,
and Carton ran forward and told Allingford what had happened. He and
Oaks came back, and said the only thing would be to get him
to Chatton station, and so home by train. It was awfully decent of
those chaps. They carried Bayley all the way, and then Oaks went home
with him, and Allingford walked back, and so, of course, they missed
half the run. Awfully brickish of them I call it, considering that it
was only a kid like Bayley."

The Triple Alliance gave a murmur of assent.

"Was that what the row's about?" asked Diggory. "Oh, bless you, no;
I haven't come to that yet. After he'd seen Oaks and Bayley into the
train, old Ally started to walk home. There's a little 'pub' about half
a mile out of Chatton called the Black Swan, and he thought he'd call
and ask if they'd seen the fellows pass. You know Thurston the
prefect, that chap who came to the door when we were having that meeting
in the 'old lab.' Well, now, if he and Mouler, and two or three more of
that sort, wer