d at a distance,
you know--but you're not very like him, really, in the face. His name's
Bourne."

"Mine's 'Arris," said the bicycle owner, angrily.

"A very nice name, too;" said Grim, soothingly. "You'd better see what's
the damage to the machine for we must be trotting back to St. Amory's."

Mr. Harris spun the pedals and tried the wheels.

"It's shook up considerable, that's wot it is."

"All right," said Grim, hastily. "Here's a shilling. Give it a drink of
beer."

This was a wretched joke really, but it brightened the face of Mr. Harris
considerably when he heard it, and the loafers departed from their
dispassionate attitude, and became quite friendly. The landlord went in
to draw beer.

A minute afterwards the quartette was heading back for St. Amory's as
hard as it could go, and whenever a halt was called for breath, three of
the cronies collapsed on the earth, and howled at Rogers, who could not
see the joke.

Over a quiet little tea, after call-over, at Hooper's Rogers explained
fully his views.

"No, I'm not going to do any more detective work. We missed Acton and
Bourne beautifully; they don't go to Westcote, and Grimmy's idea about
poachin' 's rotten. He may be Acton's messenger-boy or the rider of a
decent pneumatic, but I'm going to let him go his own way."

When, afterwards, they rubbed embrocation into their wearied limbs, the
rest agreed with Rogers.

"But, yet," said Grim, "I'd like to know about that cartridge too."

CHAPTER XVI

TODD "FINDS HIMSELF"

Todd had found out all the unpainted beauty of public-school life without
pocket money, and discovered that existence was just possible. A shilling
on your watchchain and a shilling's worth of stamps admit of no luxuries,
and Todd, through his impecuniosity, even if he had wished, could not
have done anything else but work. Taylor's house was supposed to provide
a fairly liberal table, but Gus really did miss his after-dinner cup of
coffee at Hooper's, and not many fellows would regard long letters to and
from home as being the _summum bonum_ of the week. Yet Todd had come
to regard his mamma's letters--four-paged gossip about his sisters, his
brothers, the horses, and the dogs--in the light of luxuries.

Consequently, with nothing to distract him, Gus really did work. His
standing in the Fifth sensibly increased. Merishall did not make
elaborate jokes on his Latin, and Corker not once let fall the warning
eye-glass preparato