well to compel four players to refuse to act;
but to constrain 120 boys to do the same was a less easy task.

It seemed to Clapperton that he would do best to strike the iron while
hot; and for that purpose he made a descent next morning into the
quarters of his fag. If he could secure the juniors, it would be
something.

He found Percy there alone, diligently working. That young gentleman
had in fact been reminded in pretty forcible terms by Mr Forder that he
had not yet handed in his Latin letter of apology ordered a week ago.
Percy had hoped if he forgot it long enough Mr Forder would forget it
too, and it had startled and grieved him very much to-day to receive
notice that unless he brought his _poena_ in an hour he would be sent up
to the doctor.

Consequently, while his comrades were out enjoying themselves, he was
here in a shocking bad temper, with a Latin Dictionary in front of him,
trying to express his contrition for having used bad language in class a
week ago.

He had got a little way. Latin prose for a Modern junior is a trifle
thorny; but Percy had a rough and ready way with him which, if it did
not emulate Cicero, at least made his meaning tolerably clear.

"Care Magistere Fordere, Ego sum excessive tristis ut ego usebam malam
linguam in classem alteram diem. Ego apologizo, et ego non facerebo
illud iterum. Ego spero ut vos voluntas prodonnere," (it took him some
time to arrive at this classical term for "you will forgive") "me hanc
tempus."

This was all very well, but it only took up about six lines out of ten,
and he was in despair how to continue. His ideas, his temper, and his
Latin had all evaporated. When Clapperton entered, he did not even look
up.

"Cut, whoever you are, and hang yourself," said he.

"Hullo, Percy! What's the row with you?"

"Don't talk to me," said Percy. "It's that beast Forder."

"Where are the others? I want to talk to you youngsters."

"How do I know where every ass in the place is? What do you want?"

The tone in which the inquiry was made was not encouraging.

"It's about the meeting next week. We don't mean to attend it."

"Don't you? Our lot does. We're going. Rather."

"It's a dodge of the other side. They're going to get the clubs into
their own hands, and we've decided none of our fellows shall go. Then
they can't do anything."

"Can't they? You don't know my young brother Wally as well as I do.
He'll do something, bless you; but