some one who might hold a contrary opinion.

After some search they found a Modern middle-boy, who, catching sight of
Fisher minor, shouted, "How now! Who nobbled the Club money?" which
made Fisher minor suddenly detach himself from his company, and
shouting, "That's him!" start in pursuit. What a bull-dog it was
getting, to be sure!

The whole party joined in the hue-and-cry, and might have run the
fugitive down, had not the head-master stalked across the Green at that
moment on his way to Mr Wakefield's.

At sight of him they pulled up short, looked unutterably amiable, doffed
their caps, and made as though they were merely out to take the air on
this beautiful November afternoon.

To Fisher minor the interruption was a sad one. That fellow was the
borrower of his half-crown; for weeks he had lost sight of him. Now,
suddenly, chance had seemed to bring both man and money within reach,
when, alas! the Harpy swooped down and took off the prize from under his
very nose.

The doctor having passed, they continued their search for any one who
had a bad word to say for Rollitt.

But as it was nearly dark, and rain was falling, the craven maligners
kept indoors, and would not be caught.

So the juniors relieved themselves by giving three cheers for Rollitt
under every window round the Green, and then fell to abusing Fisher
minor because his brother, Fisher major, had lost the money which
Rollitt was said to have stolen.

"There's no doubt that kid's at the bottom of it," said Percy. "First
of all, he's a Classic cad."

Here the speaker was obliged to pause, on a friendly admonition from the
boot of his brother Wally.

"He's a Classic kid," continued he.

"You said cad."

"I said cad? do you hear that, you chaps? Thinks I don't know how to
spell."

"You said he was a Classic cad."

"There you are; you've said it now. Kick him, you chaps. How dare he
say he's a Classic cad?" said Percy.

This verbal squabble being settled at last, Percy proceeded to explain
Fisher minor's position.

"If he hadn't come to Fellsgarth, Rollitt would have been smashed to
bits over the falls. And if Rollitt had been smashed to bits--"

"He couldn't have bought six Abernethys at the shop," suggested D'Arcy.

"Right you are! And what's more, he couldn't have eaten them if he had,
and he couldn't have run away. There you are, I said this kid was at
the bottom of it."

"But who'd have collared the money in that case?