sinking heart that I persisted:

"Please, sir, I wanted to--"

"_Run away, boy._ I'm accustomed to dealing with gentlemen."

At once my attitude of submission was changed at Fillet's clumsy
touch into one of hot defiance.

"Indeed, sir," I retorted. "I'm not always so fortunate." I went
quickly out and managed to slam the door. Blood up, I muttered:

"Brute! Beast! Swine! Devil!"

Sec.2

Moles White, who was now the house-captain, was occupied two
afternoons later in discussing with the bloods of Bramhall the
composition of the House Swimming Four for the Inter-house relay
races.

"Erasmus House have a splendid Four," he said. "We've only got three
so far: there's myself and Cully and Johnson."

"And a precious rotten three too," said Doe.

"Well," grumbled White, "there's nobody else in the House who can
swim a stroke; a good many think they can."

"Not so sure," whispered Doe, obscurely. "Come along with me. No,
Moles alone." And he dragged White towards the baths.

Within that beloved building I was trying to see how many lengths I
could swim. It was rather late, and I had the water to myself. I
was doing my sixth length when I saw entering the baths the
ungainly carcass of White with the graceful form of Doe hanging
affectionately on his arm. The latter was explaining that no one
knew how well I could swim, as I had once nearly fainted when
extending myself to the utmost and had gone easy ever since. "But
Rupert can really swim at ninety miles an hour," he concluded.

So White called: "Come here, Ray."

"When you say 'please,'" shouted I, swimming about.

Doe thereupon took the matter in hand and addressed me:

"Now, Ray, I want you to swim your best. Here's a little kiddy
friend of mine I've brought to see you. Mr. Ray, this is Master
Moles."

White ignored his companion's playfulness and asked me:

"Can you swim sixty yards?"

I hurled about five pints of water at him to show that I detected
the insult.

"You old Moles!" said Doe. "Serves you right. Why, he's just
finished swimming about seventy thousand yards."

"Well, sheer off and let's see you do it," ordered White.

I accordingly swam my fastest to the deep end and back.

"My word!" gasped White. "I didn't know you could swim like that."

Doe laughed in his face.

"You loon! He could swim before you were born."

Moles seized Doe by the throat and pretended to push him into the
water, but characteristically saved him from