. After all, the masters were employees and far too
deeply concerned with the problem of earning a living to do any harm to
Foskett: they would be unwilling to resign, because, even if they found
posts, it would mean loss of seniority at the new school. Distinctly
he had the whip hand over them; but the prefects were harder to control
and demanded more respect. So the masters had grown chary of reporting
matters to the Head, and Finney had been warned that such a policy
might lead to snubs. But on this occasion there was plainly nothing
else to do.

Foskett spoke gravely to Cartwright for ten minutes on the subject of
example, and matters went on as before. Cartwright was captain of
football at the time.

So Finney continued to suffer, and because Finney suffered Martin
inevitably suffered too. The ragging got on his nerves and he began to
dread those long hours with their mirth and tragedy. At last he could
bear it no longer, and he determined to speak to Cartwright and his
allies and to point out how miserable they were making Finney: the man
was a human being after all, he would say, and as an enemy he was not
worth their efforts.

At first it seemed an easy thing to do, but when the time for action
came he shrank from the task. It would be so strange, so opposed to
all traditions. And Martin was distinctly one of the class of people
who hate asking questions or worrying tradesmen or exacting their
rights: he would rather have put up with a badly cut suit than protest
to his tailor. He was not afraid of Cartwright, but he was undeniably
afraid of asking Cartwright to be kind to Finney: it was just the kind
of task which Martin most dreaded. He could imagine Cartwright's
tolerant smile, the slight raising of the brows, the polite: 'Oh,
certainly!' It would be painful, it would be intolerable!

But it would have to be done. One final jest, one final look of
despair on Finney's face convinced him. So he nerved himself bravely
for the crusade. Cartwright was, as he had foreseen, quite nice about
it: he agreed that it was not good form to behave as the Fourth did,
and Warren and the others assented. Martin had struck the right note
when he used the phrase 'good form,' for no member of a Public School,
young or old, can stand the imputation that he is not a gentleman.
Martin was astonished at the ease and success of his task and was angry
with himself for not having acted before. Henceforward Finney ta