ereabouts.

"I'm not going over," said Corder.

"But you can't stay here all night," said Denton.

"What shall you do--turn me out?" asked the fugitive.

"No. But you'd better go, and if you don't like the look of things out
there, you'd better speak to Forder."

"No. I'd sooner stop," said Corder, doggedly. "I'm sorry to put you
fellows about after your being so kind, but I'm not going over there."

Yorke was consulted, and took upon himself the responsibility of
detaining the refugee for the night.

"All right, thanks," said Corder, and turned in.

Next morning word came from Mr Forder requiring that the truant should
answer for his absence.

Corder obeyed, with some misgivings, and explained briefly that he had
been bullied and did not want to stand it.

Mr Forder, who had a peculiar faculty for saddling the wrong horse, was
not satisfied with this explanation, and chose to suspect some other.
Corder had never been a satisfactory boy. He had probably been making
himself objectionable, and had been glad of an excuse to break rules.
The master did not demand particulars. He gave the culprit an
imposition, and ordered him to obey the rules of his house; and another
time, if he had any grievance, to come with it to him instead of taking
the law into his own hands.

Whereupon Corder departed in high dudgeon.

It was no use holding out now. He had better give in, and own himself
beaten. It would be so much easier than resisting any longer.

For an hour of two he was permitted to go in and out unmolested. But
after morning school, he was going out to solace himself with some
solitary kicks at the football, when just on the steps of the house
Brinkman pounced upon him.

"I've got you now, have I, you cad?" said he. "You just come back with
me."

"I won't. Let go!" cried Corder, in a temporary panic, wriggling
himself away and escaping a few yards.

Brinkman, however, was quickly after him, determined this time to hold
him fast. Corder, though a senior, was a small boy, and had never
before thought of pitting, himself against the Modern bully.

But once already this term he had come suddenly to realise that he could
do better than he gave himself credit for. And now that matters seemed
desperate, when there was no escape, and his fate stared him in the
face, it occurred to Corder he would show fight.

He had right on his side. He had done no harm to Brinkman or anybody
else. Why shouldn't