y to fight for his school, and Joe knew.

Mr Spence went to bed still in a state of doubt.

Next morning he hit upon a solution of the difficulty. Wandering in the
grounds before school, he came upon O'Hara, who, as has been stated
before, had won the Light-Weights at Aldershot in the previous year. He
had come to Wrykyn for the Sports. Here was the man to help him. O'Hara
should put on the gloves with Sheen and report.

"I'm in rather a difficulty, O'Hara," he said, "and you can help me."

"What's that?" inquired O'Hara.

"You know both our light-weights are on the sick list? I had just
resigned myself to going down to Aldershot without any one to box, when
a boy in Seymour's volunteered for the vacant place. I don't know if
you knew him at school? Sheen. Do you remember him?"

"Sheen?" cried O'Hara in amazement. "Not _Sheen_!"...

His recollections of Sheen were not conducive to a picture of him as a
public-school boxer.

"Yes. I had never heard of him as a boxer. Still, he seems very anxious
to go down, and he certainly has one remarkable testimonial, and as
there's no one else--"

"And what shall I do?" asked O'Hara.

"I want you, if you will, to give him a trial in the dinner-hour. Just
see if he's any good at all. If he isn't, of course, don't hit him
about a great deal. But if he shows signs of being a useful man, extend
him. See what he can do."

"Very well, sir," said O'Hara.

"And you might look in at my house at tea-time, if you have nothing
better to do, and tell me what you think of him."

At five o'clock, when he entered Mr Spence's study, O'Hara's face wore
the awe-struck look of one who had seen visions.

"Well?" said Mr Spence. "Did you find him any good?"

"Good?" said O'Hara. "He'll beat them all. He's a champion. There's
no stopping him."

"What an extraordinary thing!" said Mr Spence.

XX

SHEEN GOES TO ALDERSHOT

At Sheen's request Mr Spence made no announcement of the fact that
Wrykyn would be represented in the Light-Weights. It would be time
enough, Sheen felt, for the School to know that he was a boxer when he
had been down and shown what he could do. His appearance in his new
role would be the most surprising thing that had happened in the place
for years, and it would be a painful anti-climax if, after all the
excitement which would be caused by the discovery that he could use his
hands, he were to be defeated in his first bout. Whereas, if he
happened to win,