ut in that sort of
thing again, you won't be let off so easy."

"Yorke's a beast," said Wally, when the shattered forces mastered once
more in his study, "but he's a just beast. He gave it us all hot
alike."

No one disputed the proposition.

"I thought he'd let you new kids off, but he didn't. It's just as well.
It'll do you good, and make you sit up."

"Jolly sell for that cad Dangle," said D'Arcy. "He thought Yorke was
going to shirk it."

"He can't say that now," said Ashby, rubbing the palm of his hand up and
down his thigh.

Dangle, meanwhile, had returned to his quarters with the unsatisfactory
report of his mission.

"Bother them!" said Clapperton. "They take advantage of us whenever
there's a chance. Now they've offered a new election, and licked the
youngsters, the wind is out of our sails."

"When it comes to the time, I shall decline to be nominated," said
Brinkman.

"That won't be much good. You'll get some of our fellows voting for you
whether you stand or not. And if some vote, all must."

"We shall have to see all our men turn up," said Dangle. "It was a
tight enough shave for the secretaryship."

"Yes. If we don't carry it now, we'd much better have left it alone. I
only wish we had."

"There's this to be said," said Dangle, anxious to make the best of his
mistake; "if we do get three officers to their one, there should be no
doubt about our getting properly represented in the fifteen next week."

"Ah--yes; we've still that bone to pick with them."

As the Friday approached, signs of excitement in the coming conquest
were plainly visible. By tacit agreement the return match between
Percy's adherents and Wally's was postponed till after the election.
Absentees at the last election were diligently looked up by their
respective prefects, and ordered to be in attendance. Minute
calculations were made by the knowing ones, which decided within one or
two what Brinkman's majority would be. Even in Wakefield's it was
admitted that the Classic chance was a slender one.

"I wish it was all over," said Fisher major. "I'm getting sick of these
precious accounts already, and shall be glad to hand them over."

"You won't lose them," said Dalton, "if we can help. You may have to
vote for yourself, though."

"Catch me. I've come to the conclusion I wasn't born a treasurer, and I
couldn't conscientiously vote for myself. I only wish I could back
out."

"You can't do that now," s