ng hyena with the toothache"; and again all eyes went to Devey.

"Well, what the dickens are you staring at?" Devey indignantly demanded,
when he thought that he had borne this scrutiny with enough patience.

"Beetles are bad enough, Devey, without paroquets," remarked Hasluck
reproachfully. "If you feel bad, you'd better go out. We'll excuse you."

"It's not me, I tell you. I didn't laugh. It came from outside, or the
roof, or--or somewhere," protested Devey.

Arbery and Leveson darted out again, with the same result as before. But
they saw shadows in the distance which they believed to be some of their
tormentors, and it was decided that they should take up a position
close to the door, and at once dart out if the sound were repeated.

Devey was, of course, perfectly truthful when he had denied making the
curious sound which had so startled his companions. Nor had it come from
the "youngsters of the Third" outside. It came, as the reader has
guessed, from the box in which Mr. Freddy Plunger was reposing. At
first, when the heavy weight of Devey had rested on the box, he thought
that he would have been suffocated. But when, in the excitement caused
by the unexpected entrance of Mellor with his challenge from St. Bede's,
Devey had risen with the other fellows, and remained standing, Plunger
breathed more freely, and began to feel quite light-hearted again.

He felt just as excited as any of those outside at what was happening
and entered just as thoroughly into the scene, so that when Leveson and
Arbery began to question Mellor about the peculiarities of "a Beetle,"
he felt that he must laugh or choke. The result was the curious noise
which had been put down first to Devey, then to the boys outside. No one
guessed for a moment that it came from the box before which Devey was
standing. When the stir caused by this incident had subsided, attention
was once more turned to Mellor.

"Well, Mellor, you haven't answered our questions yet," said Parfitt,
taking up the fire. "What does it feel like to be a Beetle?"

Mellor flamed up the instant Parfitt spoke. It was Parfitt who had set
upon him and badgered him, and written the note which had stirred up so
much feeling at St. Bede's against Garside.

"You're a cad and a coward!" he cried hotly. "I don't want to answer you
or speak to you either."

Parfitt, stung by the boy's words, moved towards him to clutch him by
the ear. But Paul was quicker, and stood between them.