aid his friend. "Bless you, we can keep the
accounts for you. We couldn't for Brinkman."

When morning school was over on the Friday, there was a general stampede
for the Hall, where boys crowded up for good seats a quarter of an hour
before the time, and enlivened the interval with cheers and
demonstrations for their favourite candidate. Wally and his friends
were particularly active in their corner, and addressed the meeting
generally in favour of Fisher major.

"Back up, you Classic kids!" shouted Wally, standing on his seat and
apostrophising a group of the Sixth who were standing near. "Fisher's
your friend! Won the mile in 4-38; batting average 34.658742.3;
bowling, 12 wickets an innings, and 3 runs an over. Never tells lies,
or cheats. Always comes home sober and gives silver in the collection.
He won't waste your money or cook your accounts, like some chaps; and
he'll run the ball up the field, instead of sitting down in the middle
of the scrummage like the Modern chaps to keep warm. Walk up! walk up!
vote for Fisher and economy! Hooray for Fisher! Down with the swell
mob!"

Amid such torrents of eloquence the cause of Fisher major was not likely
to go by default.

Brinkman, too, was not without his champions, who, however, avoided set
speeches and confined themselves to personalities and generalities, such
as--

"Who cheats at Elections?"

"Oh, my hands, what a licking!"

"How now--not me!" (Here Fisher minor coloured up.) "Look out, you
chaps, there's a Classic cad blushing."

"No! where? won't he want a rest after it!"

"Here comes Brinkman! Hooray for honesty and fair play! Hooray for the
Moderns! Down with Wakefield's kids! Send 'em home to their mas!"

"Shut up there! Sit down, you youngsters."

Whereupon there fell a lull.

Fisher minor surveyed the scene with anxious trepidation. If his
brother were to lose now, it would be his--Fisher minor's--fault. He
would never be able to hold up his head again. How he wished he had a
dozen votes!

"Strong muster," he heard some one say near him. "I expect every
fellow's here."

"Except Rollitt."

"Of, of course," said the other, with a laugh, "no one ever expects
him."

"Why not?" said Fisher minor to himself. "Why shouldn't Rollitt come
and vote?"

He quite shuddered at the audacity of the idea; and yet, when he looked
up to the front and saw his brother standing there, worried and uneasy,
and realised that in a few mi