rit and made it impossible for anyone,
even for Pledge, to point at them and say that either fear or favour
moved them.

It was probably on this very account that Pledge deemed it well to treat
the new state of things as a comedy, and not with serious attention.

A monitors' meeting was summoned for the morning after Pledge's call on
Mr Webster, and he attended it with a pleasant smile on his face, as
one who was always glad to come and see how his schoolfellows amused
themselves.

The rest of the meeting was grim and serious.

"It's time we did something to put down this Club," said Mansfield.
"They are drawing in all sorts of fellows now, and the longer we put it
off the worse it will be."

"What shall we do?" asked Freckleton.

"I think we ought to be able to do it without going to Winter about it,"
said Cresswell.

"Would it do to start an opposition club?" suggested Swinstead.

"Or make it penal for any fellow to belong to it," said Cartwright.

"Or send a deputation," said Pledge, laughing, "and ask them please not
to put the Sixth in such an awkward fix!"

"You see," said the captain, ignoring, as he usually did, Pledge's
sarcasms, "whatever we do, some are sure to be irreconcilable. I would
like to give any who wish a chance of coming out, and then we shall know
what to do with the rest. Does anyone know when they meet?"

"I believe there's a meeting this evening," said Cartwright; "at least,
my fag Coote told me a couple of days ago that he had a particular
engagement this evening, and was sorry he couldn't say what it was, for
he'd promised never to speak of the Club to anyone, least of all to a
monitor."

There was a general smile at the expense of the artless Coote, and then
Mansfield said:--

"Well, one of us had better go there and give them a caution. Will you
go, Freckleton?"

"I?" exclaimed the Hermit, aghast.

"Yes, please, old man," said the Captain; "you'd do it better than
anyone."

"Wouldn't you like me to go?" asked Pledge.

"There's one other thing I want to speak about," said Mansfield.
"There's been a lot of breaking bounds lately among the juniors. I
caught your fag yesterday, Cresswell, and gave him lines. Your fag too,
Pledge, I have seen several times lately going out without leave."

"Dear me! how shocking!" said Pledge.

"If monitors don't see that their own fags keep the rules," said
Mansfield, "there's not much chance of getting the school generally to
kee