nother in herds like sheep, for good or evil; they hate thinking,
and have rarely any settled principles. Every school, indeed, has its
own traditionary standard of right and wrong, which cannot be
transgressed with impunity, marking certain things as low and
blackguard, and certain others as lawful and right. This standard is
ever varying, though it changes only slowly, and little by little;
and, subject only to such standard, it is the leading boys for the
time being who give the tone to all the rest, and make the school
either a noble institution for the training of Christian Englishmen,
or a place where a young boy will get more evil than he would if he
were turned out to make his way in London streets, or anything between
these two extremes.

[16] #Quit#: acquit, behave.

The change for the worse in the School-house, however, didn't press
very heavily on our youngsters for some time; they were in a good
bedroom, where slept the only praepostor left who was able to keep
thorough order, and their study was in his passage; so, though they
were fagged more or less, and occasionally kicked or cuffed by the
bullies, they were, on the whole, well off; and the fresh, brave
school-life, so full of games, adventures, and good fellowship, so
ready at forgetting, so capacious at enjoying, so bright at
forecasting, outweighed a thousandfold their troubles with the master
of their form, and the occasional ill-usage of the big boys in the
house. It wasn't till some year or so after the events recorded above,
that the praepostor of their room and passage left. None of the other
sixth-form boys would move into their passage, and, to the disgust and
indignation of Tom and East, one morning after breakfast they were
seized upon by Flashman, and made to carry down his books and
furniture into the unoccupied study which he had taken. From this time
they began to feel the weight of the tyranny of Flashman and his
friends, and, now that trouble had come home to their own doors, began
to look out for sympathizers and partners amongst the rest of the
fags; and meetings of the oppressed began to be held, and murmurs to
arise, and plots to be laid, as to how they should free themselves and
be avenged on their enemies.

THE SHOE BEGINS TO PINCH.

While matters were in this state, East and Tom were one evening
sitting in their study. They had done their work for first lesson, and
Tom was in a brown study, brooding like a young Willi