with his feet. What a lucky escape
for him to get this warning in time! During the walk round the grounds
he had turned his ends up, and had quite forgotten to put them down
again when he came in. Now, no coaxing would get them down without
manual assistance. He sat clawing with one foot after another,
lacerating his shins and his garments in vain. At length in despair he
dropped his fork again, and under cover of this diversion attempted to
stoop and adjust the intractable folds.

In his flurry he naturally forgot the fork; so that when, after a minute
and a half, he emerged without it into the upper world, his two
companions were not a little perplexed.

"What have you been up to down there? Do you generally eat your grub
under the table?" asked Wally. "All I can say is, it's the best place
for him if he wears his hair like that," said the other in tones of
alarm. "Young kid, I never noticed that before! Whatever induces you
to part it on the right? Did you ever hear of a Fellsgarth fellow-- Oh,
I say, what a wigging you'll get! Look at me and Wally and Yorke and
all of 'em. Whew! it makes one ill to see it! Just look round for
yourself."

As more than half of those present appeared to have no parting at all,
and most of the rest parted on the left, Fisher minor realised with
horror that he had been guilty of a terrible solecism.

The alarm depicted in the faces of both the twins was proof enough that
the matter was a critical one. It was no time for shuffling. He had
had enough of that over his trouser-ends. He must throw himself on the
mercy of his critics.

"I quite forgot--of course," said he hurriedly; "I--I--"

"Look here," said Wally, hurriedly shoving a pocket-comb into his hands;
"you'd better go downstairs again and change it sharp, or you'll be
spotted. Cut along."

So Fisher minor began with shame to look once more for his fork, and in
doing so crawled well under the table, and sitting down proceeded
nervously and painfully to open up a parting on the left side of his
head. It was an arduous task, and not made easier by the unjustifiable
conduct of the twins, who having got their man safe under hatches began
to kick out in an unceremonious fashion and basely betray his retreat to
their friends and neighbours.

"Pass him on!"

"Hack it through!"

"Ware cats!" was the cry, in the midst of which the luckless Fisher
minor, finding a return to his old place effectually barred, and