r the children. What'll _they_ do now?"

Rollitt stood by grimly silent till she had had her cry and looked up.

"I'm sorry," said he, in a voice that meant what it said. "What was it
worth?"

"Worth? Everything to me."

"What would a new one cost?"

"More than I could pay, or you either. My John gave five pound for
her--and oh, how we scrimped to save it! Where's it to come from now!"
and she relapsed again into tears.

Rollitt waited a little longer, but there was nothing more to add; and
presently he signalled Fisher to come away.

He was silent all the way home. The junior did not dare to speak to
him--scarcely to look up in his face. Yet it did occur to him that if
any one had a right to be in a bad temper over that afternoon's
proceedings it was Mrs Wisdom, and not Rollitt.

As they neared the school, Fisher minor began to feel dreadfully
compromised by his company. Rollitt's clothes were wet and muddy; his
hands and face were dirty with his scramble along the tree; his air was
morose and savage, and his stride was such that the junior had to trot a
step or two every few yards to keep up. What would fellows think of
him! Suppose Ranger were to see him, or, still worse, the Modern
Wheatfield, or--

At this moment fate solved his problem. For just ahead of him, turning
the corner of Fowler's Wall, was the cadaverous individual who owed him
half a crown.

"Oh, excuse me, Rollitt," said he, "there's a fellow there I want to
speak to. Good-bye."

Rollitt did not appear either to hear the words or notice the desertion,
but stalked on till he reached Wakefields'. The house seemed to be
empty. Evidently none of the other half-holiday makers had returned.
Study doors stood open; an unearthly silence reigned in Wally's
quarters. Even the tuck-shop was deserted.

The only person he met was Dangle, the clubs' secretary, who had
penetrated into the enemy's quarter in order to confer with his dear
colleague the treasurer as to calling a committee meeting, and was now
returning unsuccessful.

"Ah, Rollitt," said he, "tell Fisher major, will you, I want to see him
as soon as he comes in. I'd leave a line for him, but I don't know his
room."

Whether Rollitt heard or not, he had to guess. At any rate he hardly
felt sanguine that his message would be delivered.

As for Rollitt, he shut himself into his study with a bang, and might
have been heard by any one who took the trouble to listen, pacing