, he hit upon the scheme of an offensive. He
decided that it would be futile to fight here, where all the
school-prefects were concentrated; it would be better to transfer
the attack to the courtyard of Bramhall House, where only the
Bramhall prefects would have to be reckoned with. To stay here was
to attempt a frontal attack. No, he would retreat as a feint, and
outflank the school-prefects by a surprise movement in the direction
of Bramhall.

"Have you heard?" he said. "We're all to disperse and meet again in
five minutes in Bramhall courtyard. I wonder what's in the wind."

Penny knew that not a single boy would fail to arrive at the
advertised station, if only to see what _was_ in the wind; and as
the crowd disintegrated and the prefects strolled away, thinking the
mutiny had petered out, he murmured to himself: "A crowd's an easy
thing for a man to handle."

Sec.2

So it was that there was silence everywhere when, returning to
consciousness, I found myself in the empty baths with Dr. Chapman
looking down upon me.

"One day we must thoroughly overhaul you, young man," he said.
"There may be a weakness at your heart. How're you feeling now?"

"Oh, all right, thanks."

"Bit disappointed, I suppose?"

"Rather!"

"Frightfully so?"

I didn't answer. His words filled my throat with a lump.

"Would blub, if you could, but can't, eh?"

The question nearly brought the tears welling into my eyes. He
watched them swell, and said:

"As a doctor, I should tell you to try and blub, but, as an old
public-schoolboy, I should say 'Try not to.' Do which you like, old
man. Both are right. I'll not stay to see."

And, without looking round, he withdrew from the building.

About ten minutes later I found myself in the deserted playing
fields. Knowing nothing of any breaches of the peace, I crossed the
road and passed through the gateway into the courtyard of Bramhall
House. Immediately a great roar of cheers went up, I was seized by
excited hands, raised on to the shoulders of several boys, and
carried through a shouting multitude to the boys' entrance, where I
was deposited on the steps.

Probably not a soul knew that Salome was looking down from the
window of Fillet's study and watching the effect of my arrival. As
soon as the theatre of hostilities had changed from the baths to
Bramhall House, he, too, had crossed the road and entered unobserved
by Fillet's private doorway. He knew well enough that of all th