hat somebody in the School is poorer by
L4 10 shillings for this tardy act of restitution. It deceived no one
but you. `None are so blind,' etcetera.

"R. Dangle."

Fisher fairly tore his hair over this scoundrelly document. His impulse
was to go over then and there, drag the writer out of his bed, and make
him literally swallow his own words. He might have done it, had not the
captain just then looked in.

"Why, what's up?" said the latter, who seemed none the worse for his big
climb. "What's the matter?"

"Matter? Read this!" shouted Fisher.

Yorke read the letter. An angry flush spread over his face as he did
so.

"He shall answer for it to-night!" said Fisher. "No, not to-night. Let
the cad have a night's rest. He shall answer for it to-morrow, though,
before the whole School. Let me have the letter, old man."

"If you'll promise to make him smart for it."

"You can make your mind easy about that." Next morning, to the surprise
of every one, a notice appeared on the door of each house.

Notice.

"A School meeting is summoned for this afternoon at 3.

"(Signed) C. Yorke (Wakefield's).
G. Clapperton (Forder's).
P. Bingham (Stratton's).
L. Porter (Wilbraham's)."

"What's up now?" said Wally, as he read it. "Like Clapperton's cheek to
go sticking his name under our man's--and old Bingham, too! What right
has he to stick his nose in it?--and, ha, ha, Porter! that's the green
idiot in specs, who calls himself captain of Wilbraham's! Well, I
never!"

"Shall you go?" asked D'Arcy.

"Rather! Wonder what they're up to, though?"

"Perhaps Rollitt's found, and they're going to trot him out."

"Perhaps they're going to have an eight-handed mill, those four--you
know--like what we had."

"I know, when you rammed me below the belt," said Cottle.

"Crams. You know I played on your third waistcoat button. I was never
below it once."

"Perhaps Yorke's going to give a lecture on the ascent of Hawk's Pike."

"I know what it is. They're going to give the chaps back their
subscriptions. What a run there'll be on the shop directly after!"

This last rumour was industriously put about by the juniors, and was
believed in a good many quarters.

A new diversion, however, served to put aside speculation for a time.

"Hullo, who's that lout?" asked D'Arcy, as he and Wally, having shaken
off the others for a season, were "taking a cool," arm in arm near the
playing-field gate.

T