we can all do the same, and make the lessons longer."

"Of course he will!" added several voices.

"Just you mind what you're up to," continued Teal, "or you'll get what
you won't like."

"Pass on there! What are you waiting for?" cried Mr. Rowlands,
appearing in the doorway of his classroom, and the gathering dispersed.

The following morning, as fate would have it, nearly the same thing
happened again, only this time during the hour devoted to algebra.

"Has any one had time to do any of the next set of examples?" asked Mr.
Rowlands. "If so, let him hold up his hand."

Only two boys held up their hands--Hollis and Valentine. There were
murmurs of discontent at the back of the room, and several fists were
shaken ominously.

Jack had not troubled to side with either party--it mattered very
little to him whether the lessons were long or short, as he only did as
much as he felt inclined--but, if anything, his sympathies lay with his
less industrious comrades, who, he considered, had very good ground for
feeling aggrieved with Hollis and his cousin.

"Look here, Val," he said, when they met at the close of morning
school, "what d'you want to go and work so beastly hard for?"

"I don't."

"No, perhaps you don't, because you're clever; but you're always doing
more than you're obliged to, and the other chaps don't like it, because
they say it'll make Rowlands set longer pieces."

"Oh, that's all rubbish! It's simply because they're waxy with us for
getting above them in class. I don't see why I should take my orders
from Rosher and Teal, and only do what they like; and I don't intend to
either."

"All right, my boy," answered Jack, carelessly. "Do what you like,
only look out for squalls."

The latter piece of advice was not at all unnecessary; for soon after
this, as the giver was strolling across the gravel playground, he heard
his name called, and looking round saw his cousin hurrying after him
with a scrap of paper in his hand.

"Look," he said; "I found this in my desk just now, and there was one
just like it in Hollis's."

Jack took the paper. It was an anonymous note, printed in capitals to
disguise the handwriting; and it ran as follows:--

"This is to give you fair warning, that if you will persist in doing
more work than what is set, you'll get a thrashing. The rest of the
class don't intend to get more work on your account, and so have
decided not to put up with your nonsense any longer.