hey had shouted themselves hoarse over their own
champion, especially that little turncoat, Mellor. He shouted himself
black in the face."

"Wretched and miserable, you say?" repeated Paul. Brief as Waterman's
description was, he could picture all that had happened--he could see
Stanley reeling under Wyndham's blows, and the climax of it all when he
had swallowed the last bitter drop--the humiliation of defeat.

"Yes, wretched and miserable, and I don't wonder at it." They walked on
in silence for some moments; then Waterman suddenly spoke again: "Look
here, Percival, it's an awful fag trying to understand any one, but I
once thought I understood you. I never dreamt you'd turn tail like you
did. I'll never try to understand any one again. I'll give it up."

"Bear with me a little longer. I had my reasons for what I did."

"I suppose you had. You can't be quite an idiot. But reasons can be
explained. Why didn't you explain yours?"

"Look here," said Paul; "you've acted decently towards me, Waterman, and
I'll explain to you as far as I'm able. Supposing a Beetle had done you,
a few weeks back, a splendid turn--got you out of a tight corner in
which you might have lost your life? Are you following me?"

"Beetle--tight corner. Yes, I follow; but don't make it too hazy. I
don't want to suffer from brain-fag. You're out of a tight corner, and
your life's saved by--a Beetle. Trot along."

"Well, supposing on your return to school after that, a breeze springs
up between the Beetles and the Fifth; and supposing the Fifth insist on
you being its champion?"

"Oh, that's absurd. They'd never insist on my being its champion. I
can't follow you there, Percival."

"I know it's hard," smiled Paul; "but, we're only supposing, you know."

"Ah, yes, I'd forgotten; but I can't see the use of supposing
absurdities. Go on your own giddy way. Supposing----"

"The Fifth insist on you being its champion; and then supposing, when
you get to the sand-pit to do battle for your form, you find that the
champion of the Beetles--the one you're to do battle with--is the fellow
who saved your life. Well, supposing all this, could you have fought
him?"

"You don't mean to say that this is what happened to you?" demanded
Waterman, rousing himself in a surprising way.

"You haven't answered me."

"Well, if I could fancy myself as a champion of any kind, I don't think
I could go for one who'd saved my life--bother it, no! But is this
really