aptain at present, till
one o' you gets on wi' his writing and can take it off my hands. Now we
must draw out our rules. First, we must put down that the following are
the original members of the Bull-dog Club. Then, that the objects of the
club are to improve ourselves, and to make decent men o' ourselves.
Next, to stick together in a body and to play all sorts o' games against
any other set. All that's been agreed, ain't it?"

There were cries of "Ay, ay," and Jack wrote down the items on the sheet
o' paper before him.

"Now about new members. Do we mean to keep it to ourselves, or to let in
other chaps?"

"Keep it to ourselves," shouted several.

"Well, I dunno," Harry Shepherd said; "if this is going to do us as much
good as we hopes, and think it is, would it be right to keep the chaps
o' the place out? O' course we wouldn't go beyond Stokebridge, but we
might keep it to that."

The point was hotly debated, the majority being in favour of confining
the club to its present members; some saying that if it were opened the
original members would be swamped by numbers, and that their bond of
union would be broken.

When all had spoken Jack Simpson said:

"I think we might go between both opinions. If we were to limit the club
to twenty-four members, this room would just about hold 'em. We would
only elect one each week, so as to have time to make a good choice. Any
member who broke the rules or made himself unpleasant would be expelled,
and so we should see in a while all the young chaps o' t' village
wanting to join, and it would get to be looked upon as a feather in a
chap's cap to belong to it."

This proposal was agreed to unanimously.

"Now the next rule I propose," Jack said, "is that this room is to be
used from seven to nine for work. No talking to be allowed. Arter nine,
books to be put away and pipes to be lit by them as smoke, and to talk
till ten. I ha' been talking to the woman o' the house, and she will
supply cups o' coffee or tea at a penny a piece between nine and ten."

This rule was agreed to without a dissentient voice.

"Now," Jack said, "I doan't know as you'll all like the next rule I ha'
to propose, but I do think it is a needful one. That is that no swearing
or bad language be used in this room. A fine of a penny being inflicted
for each time the rule be broken."

There was a dead silence.

"You see," Jack said, "you will all be fined a few times at first, but
this money will go