inter's and yet just
get the scholarship, isn't it? So very unusual, eh?"

"The Fifth-form remove has been gained by Swinstead," said the Doctor
(loud cheers). "Wrangham was second, but not very close, and Birket was
a few marks below Wrangham."

These announcements were the most interesting on the Doctor's list, and
Templeton listened impatiently to the rest. It waited, however, in its
place, in order to give a final cheer for Ponty at the close.

Which it did. And the dear old fellow, though he seemed very sleepy,
and longed for his arm-chair, couldn't help hearing it and looking round
at the old school, nodding his kindly head. When, however, somebody
called out "Speech," he stretched himself comfortably and shrugged his
shoulders; and they knew what that meant, and gave it up.

Twenty-four hours later, Templeton was scattered to the four winds, and
our heroes' first term had become a chapter of ancient history.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

IN WHICH A NOTABLE TRIPLE ALLIANCE IS RENEWED.

The six short weeks of holiday darted away only too quickly.

Dick, in the whirl of family life, a hero to his sisters, and a caution
to his young brothers, forgot all the troubles of the term, and all its
disappointments, all about the "Select Sociables," and all about Tom
White's boat, in one glorious burst of holiday freedom.

He even forgot about his irregular verbs; and the good resolutions with
which he had returned, he left packed up in his trunk until the time
came to take them back to Templeton.

Still, it wasn't a bad time, on the whole, for Dick. Like some small
boat that gets out of the rushing tide for a little into some quiet
creek, he had time to overhaul himself and pull himself together, ready
for another voyage. He was able, in the home harbour, to take some
little fresh ballast on board and to rearrange what he at present had.
He was able to stow away some of his useless tackle and bale out some of
the water he had shipped in the last few rapids. Altogether, though
Dick was not exactly a boy given to self-examination, or self-
dedication, and although he would have scouted the notion that he was
going in for being a reformed character, his little cruise in calm water
did him good, and steadied him for his next venture on the tide, when
the time should come.

It was not so with George Heathcote. He was a craft of flimsier build
than his leader, and the tide had gone harder with him. There was a
leak