y good little chap to speak of me as
you do, and to think of me as you do? I'm a long way off deserving it, I
can tell you. You waited after I left the sand-pit, you say, to see what
would happen? What did happen? They kept up the groans for me till they
were tired, I suppose?"

"Don't speak of it," said the boy, shivering.

"You needn't be afraid of giving me pain, I tell you. I'm getting pretty
tough. After they'd done hooting me----"

"While they were still hooting you, Moncrief threw off his jacket, and
leapt into your place."

"What!" cried Paul, starting to his feet, and staring at the boy. "Leapt
into my place?"

"Yes, stood up to the Beetle--the fellow they call Wyndham; then the
hooting stopped, and our fellows cheered madly, specially when Newall
came forward and backed up Moncrief major."

"Newall! backed up Moncrief!" repeated Paul, bewildered. "Do you mean to
say Moncrief fought with Wyndham?"

"Yes, wildly--madly."

Paul closed his eyes, shuddering. He could see the two confronting each
other, and staggering about in the sand-pit. For some moments he could
not speak, and when his hands came from his face, it was as white as the
boy's before him.

"And who--who came off best, Hibbert?"

"I don't know. I--I could not stop. To see them fighting so made
me--made me feel bad all over. I'm not like other boys. And--and all the
time I was thinking of you; so I hastened here, and--and found you."

"They were still fighting as you left?"

"Yes, yes; but where are you going?"

Paul had seized his cap and turned to the door.

"To see what has happened."

"It will be all over by now; don't go," pleaded the boy.

But Paul was deaf to Hibbert's pleading.

"What have I done--what have I done?" he asked himself as he rushed into
the grounds. "Fool--fool, not to have guessed what would happen!"

Somehow we do rarely guess what will happen. Things which seem so clear
to us after they have happened are quite hidden from our sight
beforehand. The best of us grope about in the dark, and stumble blindly
along as Paul Percival had done.

Paul rushed on--back--back to the sand-pit. Suddenly he came to a dead
stop. The hum of many voices reached his ears. A crowd of boys were
coming towards him.

CHAPTER XVI

"HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LEPER"

In the midst of the boys coming along the road was Stanley. He was not
so easy to recognize, for his face was bruised and swollen, and a thin
streak of scarl